Who Am I? And Why Follow Me?

With so many excellent writers on Medium, why would you bother following me?

In which I attempt to write an illuminating bio so that I can persuade you to follow me and read my various scribblings.

I’m in my 61st year on a strange, little rock hurtling around a mediocre star, and that question gets easier to answer the older I get. And tougher. Sometimes, I have to answer it by telling you who I’m not rather than who I am.

I’m no one’s wife because I’ve not married. I’m no one’s life partner because I don’t have one. I’m no one’s daughter because my parents are deceased. I’m no one’s employee because I don’t have a job. And I’m no one’s patsy because I have a voice — it’s strong and I like to use it.

What do I write about?

For fun, I write essays and memoirs and attempt poetry. Sometimes, I write fiction, and when I do it’s flash. Sometimes I teach these things, or parts of these things. And for profit, I sometimes write and edit for businesses and corporations and multi-nationals. I have a novel I’ve been working on for twenty years. I hope I finish it some day, but it’s not looking promising.

In my personal writing, you’ll see my thinking — thought processes laid bare like a Botticelli painting. You’ll see me trying to nut through a problem or make sense of an issue or unravel a mystery. Sometimes I don’t end up where I anticipated I would. But the words have a mind of their own and they speak their own truth to my power.

What about this writing on Medium thing?

I have been on Medium, off and on, since 2016. I am rarely curated (back when curation was a thing), which probably says more about Medium than it does about me. But here are essays that did make the grade:

So I tend to not write for Medium per se — mostly, I repost my writing from my own website here. Like these:

I tend to have a follow me/follow you policy because it’s fair, but it will depend on who you are and what you write about. I like to round up claps so your number is even because it’s a neatness thing. I will comment on your pieces, sometimes. And highlight, sometimes. And share sometimes.

I will always appreciate you reading what I’ve written, and if you’re kind enough to clap, I thank you in advance. And so does my Stripe. If you leave a comment, I will endeavour to respond. It’s the least I can do.

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