About Nancy Fielding, freelance writer
I’ve been in love with words since I first put crayon to paper. From the time I wrote “Man” under my artist’s rendering of a male, I knew that words and I would enjoy a long and happy relationship.
By the time I was thirteen, I was absolutely sure of what I wanted to be. Inspiration came in the form of one incompetent guidance counsellor, who laughed at me when I said that I wanted to study journalism. Yes. A so-called trained high school guidance counsellor dismissed a thirteen year-old's dreams. Determined to prove my first naysayer wrong, I got through high school as quickly as I could, and off to J-school I went. It was heaven. Newspaper reporting and production, photography, TV and radio news writing; we did it all. When real life beckoned, thankfully, so did CBC Radio. Hired as a Copy Clerk in the national newsroom, I had the opportunity to work both behind and in front of the microphone, writing and producing in between copy-running stints. Unfortunately the career path was derailed when it became apparent that the Corporation wanted me to “pay my dues” with postings in Canada’s Far North. To my then twenty-one-year-old self, that was simply too far away.
In the name of keeping a steady paycheque, I took a wrong turn and veered off into property management, and decided to work for a local beer retailer on weekends. In both cases, I thought I would simply “try it for a year” while I charted another course that would take me back to writing. Twenty years later, I was still there. I eventually gave up the day job, so that I could get back onto the path I had abandoned far too long ago.
The birth of neuroti.ca was clear evidence of the good things that the World Wide Web could provide. In August of 2000, friends of mine in England, neither of whom I had ever met in person (and still haven’t, more’s the pity) quite unexpectedly banded together to give me a domain, hosting, and a shiny new site. It was one of the best gifts I have ever received, and I’ll be forever in their debt.
Neuroti.ca’s purpose is forever evolving: While it continues to be my personal space, it’s also a place where prospective clients and employers can stop by and see what I have to offer. With that in mind, I choose my subjects reasonably carefully, I try not to swear too much, and most important, I have fun with it. I hope it’s as entertaining for you to read, as it is for me to produce.
Please note that archives are all fairly recent. When I made a move to a new host and this wonderful man did a bit of a re-work on the site, we decided to dump six years of material and start fresh. Sometimes, it's just better that way.
On the professional side of things, I am pleased to say that I’ve been published in the venerable Dogs In Canada magazine: Look for me as the writer of the Pick Of The Litter features in the September, 2005 to March, 2006 issues.
I’m an old hand at writing press releases, corporate communications and anything else for print. I have two years’ experience in broadcasting, and nine years writing for the Web. If you know what you want to say, but can’t quite figure out how to say it, drop me a line and we’ll toss some ideas around. Basic rates for my services can be found on the Writer For Hire page.