My Profession

I’m a writer and editor by profession. Early in my career, I worked freelance out of my home, but for the past decade or so, I’ve worked salaried in an office. I’ve had some work published in magazines with my name in the byline, but the vast majority of my work has been for corporate “publication” where my name is never seen.

It’s funny, and a little disappointing, that the work with my name listed has been seen by, at most, only thousands of readers. The work where my name is not given has been seen by thousands to millions. But, where one is a great ego boost, the other is a great, steady income. Many people in the general American population don’t realize that there’s lots of writing and editing work outside of books and magazines.

Often, when someone learns what I do for a living they ask “For books or magazines? Anything I might have seen?” The ironic answer is, “Neither. Possibly.” I’ve written and edited marketing copy, training materials, and instruction books. Even to me, this is usually boring stuff. (Although the marketing stuff can be fun.)

I’ve been writing since I was a teenager (over 30 years), and I’ve been getting paid for writing and editing for around 25 years. Most of my work wouldn’t be considered glamorous or exciting, but I’ve enjoyed most of it. It’s a minor thrill to come across something I’ve worked on out in the world, but most of the time I never see my work outside my corporate offices.

I like working with words, my own (writing) or someone else’s (editing). A day when I get to work with words is a good day. This is partly why I write this blog: so I can ensure that I get to write or edit something every day. This Web site is a place for me to practice my craft and experiment and fool around with words. It’s an outlet for me to let something I’ve worked on be seen by the general public. Yes, I realize the irony of not putting my real name on this stuff means I’m still unknown for my work. But I’ve come to be OK with being anonymous.

Bullgrit
bullgrit@totalbullgrit.com