Blog 14: Scrabble anyone?

Happy National Scrabble Day! Did you know it was today, and are at this very moment setting up the game or playing online with someone? Perhaps you’ve been taken completely unaware by my announcement and must dash out immediately to purchase it and grab the nearest person from the street so they can be your opponent to celebrate appropriately with you.

I have loved Scrabble since I was a child and we have the game on a shelf, sadly covered in dust, because no one else wants to play it. The idea of this game got me thinking about all the pieces you have to put together to get the words, phrases and outcomes that you want. I’ve been doing the social media dance, that many of you may be aware of if you are in the small business game. It’s a lot of graft putting together adverts and blogs, trying to reach people.

However, what I realised was I’m not just Angie the Fiction Editor, who wears a red cape and flies around town solving people’s editing problems. Although that sounds fun, and I would totally sign up for that. Although I refuse to wear my underwear over my leggings. I can’t believe Superman had to do that! I am, of course, a whole other person with a life outside of my work and I haven’t been telling anyone about her. It is all about your ‘brand’ nowadays isn’t it. So, what is mine?

What are the letters that make up Angie? I don’t mean A N G I E, because, you know, they are right there. What am I made up of? Who am I? Well, if you have read other blogs of mine, you may have gathered that I’m married to a long-suffering husband, and we have two girls. One soon to be an adult and the other soon to be a teenager. Yes, this house is hormone city right now! And it’s not just the girls I’m talking about. Women over 40 will get what I mean.

Our house is also a city for cats, because we have six. Yes, six! Between getting a couple of kittens that we fell in love with, helping to take on an older cat that needed a home and then buying new cat playmates for the more ‘active’ felines at home, we seem to have landed at this magic (or manic) number. There are two Ragdolls, three Bengals and what we thought was part Maincoon, but is nowhere near big enough, unless you count the size of her tummy! The problem is, I really want a Maincoon, and despite hinting to my other half that I could perhaps get one for a 50th birthday present in a few years, realistically, we just don’t have the room. So, boo hoo for me.

My eldest daughter loves snakes, and therefore we have three of them, which she managed to persuade us to get all in the same year. I’m still not actually sure how that happened. Two Royal Pythons and one Corn snake are happily living in their own vivariums in her bedroom. They are all very friendly and I find it quite relaxing when handling them. The idea of keeping frozen mice and rats in the freezer for them to eat, wasn’t something I felt particularly enthralled about initially, but it’s surprising how I have gotten used to it.

My children do take up a lot of my time, and my husband’s. I’m a full-on mum and the fact that I’m working from home means I can be there whenever they need me, which is great! Though, as any parent will attest, it can also be pretty draining. We do a lot of taxiing my eldest to work, pet shops, courses, and horse-riding lessons. And of course, the dreaded school runs, which are just chaotic with so much traffic and so many people.

With all this rushing around, I have to make time to relax and do things I enjoy. I love writing. Surprise, surprise! I was a creative writer before I began editing and still enjoy writing stories, poetry and scripts. I get my stress levels down by exercising. I’ve followed a specific online coach for nearly two years and am in the best shape I’ve been for years. I dash up to my bedroom, click on one of her workout routines and it isn’t long before I’m feeling more energic, positive and sweaty.

I adore reading, of course, I’m an editor and just love pouring over different types of stories! But the top of my favourite things to do is, editing! I’m a fix-it kind of person. If I see a problem, I want to sort it out. I’m the kind of person that puts things back on the shelves in supermarkets if they’ve been knocked off and left on the floor, or spot someone struggling with bags, boxes or a pram going through a door, I dash to open it. Things just feel so much better when they are working properly and running smoothly.

You may have also realised by reading my blogs, that I have a cheeky sense of humour. And I'm a people person, if I’m nearby waiting in a queue with you, chances are I’m going to strike up a conversation or make some sort of joke to keep us both from getting bored. And I just love getting to know people. Isn’t it great when you find things in common with strangers? Exchanging a smile or a few pleasant words with someone just makes my day. That human touch, that connection. I think that’s what life is all about!

In summary, that’s me: wife, mum, cat lover, snake cuddler, house cleaner (when I absolutely have to), chatty, helpful, and a Fiction Editor. I have actually put together a questionnaire for my clients, which I send out to them before I begin editing. I ask about their story but also about them, because I want to get to know the person as well as their writing.

So, what about all the pieces that make up you? Remember you aren’t just what you do for a living. There are so many parts that form the person you are. Have we got anything in common? Tell me about your hobbies, interests, and who you are. I’d love to hear about the person behind the writer. Comment, drop me an email, or find me on Facebook and let me know. I would love to chat, I’m a chatty person after all! Don’t be shy. Shake your Scrabble tree and let’s see what pieces are on your board.