My Story

My first memory of writing a story (that wasn’t a school assignment) is sitting down at the boxy desktop computer in our basement when I was eight and drafting a wild sci-fi tale, heavily inspired by Star Wars. I also remember running upstairs to regale my mom with the exploits of my characters as she cooked dinner.

Eight-year-old Joy would be thrilled to know she eventually became a full-time writer. But thirty-year-old Joy (hi, that’s me) is still working towards the goal that her first sci-fi story planted — becoming a traditionally published author.

I used to think that the activity of writing was enough to get there. All that mattered was words finding their way from my brain to the page. What I didn’t know until quite recently was how much I didn’t know — about storycraft, getting an agent, publishing, etc.

In 2020, I realized that I had to “get serious” if I wanted to succeed at getting my dream job. I needed to first learn some of what I didn’t know and take the steps that separate writer from published author.

For me, that meant quitting my job as Senior Writer at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, packing up my apartment and driving across the country to live with my parents again so that I can put all my time and energy into writing, pitching and one day publishing my fantasy novel.