I have been a writer since I could hold a crayon, intent on telling stories and recording life as I see it.

In school, I was “that kid” who asked for writing assignments. As a high school student, I wrote for my school newspaper and submitted stories to creative writing contests. It was then that I began my lifelong habit of journaling. Since the age of 21, I have written a journal entry every year on my birthday (a small homage to Beckett’s “Krapp’s Last Tape”).

I earned my BA in English from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and later two degrees, MA in English and MFA in Creative Writing — Fiction, from the University of Oregon.

Since graduating with my Masters degrees, I have earned my living solely as a writer and editor: technical writer, journalist, writing instructor, freelance writer, ghostwriter, fiction writer, writing coach, and book editor.

I’m the grammar and punctuation nut, who believes that writing well involves knowing and using the rules of the language. English is exquisite. Why wouldn’t we use it well?

Raised as an Army brat, I have traveled the world since I was a child and have not lost the taste for new worlds, new cultures, or new friends. Currently living in Brazil, I hope to travel for decades to come, broadening my horizons and furthering my education about the literature of the world.

Here at The Writing Itch, I post items about writing, editing, and the world of the written word. I also write a travel blog of my current adventures, which can be found at http://www.tossoffbowlines.com. Finally, I write a blog specifically about memoir writing (www.awhytolive.wordpress.com).