I have been a member of Writing.com since 2000, but I am by no means a professional writer. When I write, I edit the piece a number of times before sending it to someone who wants to read it, and they usually point out obvious blunders that I overlooked. So I am far from perfect, and I don't have all the answers. I was published once—a ghost story I wrote won a contest at the Halifax Public Library and was printed in the Daily News. Teachers have complimented and praised me most of my life for my superior writing skills.

But to this day I continue to struggle and to learn. I am enrolled at Winghill Writing School in the Creative Writing program. I wasted a year trying to convince myself I wanted a career doing something else, but now I know writing is what I want to do.

The journey will be a battle with others and with my own self. But it’s a battle that I prepare for every day and a battle I am willing to endure.

Writing is an ongoing process of trick grasping and familiarising oneself with techniques that work and techniques that fail.

Here I will write all I know, or all I think I know. I hope some of it will be helpful to you, and I hope it will inspire some discussion so we can all learn a thing or two.