Welcome to A Way with Words

Welcome to a one-stop shop for all discussions on editing and writing! The A Way with Words blog will tackle all manner of topics in writing and editing with the goal to help you write and edit successfully, how to collaborate with writers and editors, and also quick updates on my personal projects.

In addition to the editing and writing services here, I plan to continue a pursuit in publishing my own pieces and other content creation with live streaming on Twitch and video creation on YouTube. I won’t bombard you too much with the latter (they have their own channels of operation,) but I definitely want to share any personal writing and editing projects I have on the go. 

You’ll find in the coming weeks and months useful resources to motivate, inspire and advise on writing and editing your own pieces, and how to find and work with writers and editors when you need fresh eyes or specialized skills. It sounds now as if this is geared toward creative writers, but as someone that enjoys plain language and web writing, there will be lots to enjoy through those different lenses! 

Who is Jerrica?

You’ve likely learned a little bit about me on the About page but in case you haven't, here's a little run down of where I’ve been, how I got here, and where I plan on going now.

Where I’ve been…

• Grew up in Carleton Place, but been in Ottawa for about 12 years

• Started a psychology undergrad at Carleton University 

• Joined the restaurant industry as a line and prep cook after working as a baker and cake decorator in retail

• Laid off in March 2020

• Back to kitchens in 2021, which eventually led to blog writing, which then led to… 

How I got here…

• a return to school! Professional Writing is a program that I’d looked at before, but was finally ready to take the plunge in September 2023

• Courses covering plain language, editing and creative writing were among my favourites, and so a new pursuit began with program completion in April 2025

Where I plan to go…

• Jerrica Has a Way with Words was born with the help of the Professional Writing program

  • All branding was created as part of a design assignment

  • Web design skills were learned from another design course, and

  • The final assignment in “The Business of Writing and Publishing” was a business proposal for something very similar to what you see here

• Going forward I especially want to work with new and emerging short story writers and small businesses to bring their words to life

• Even further in the future, I’d love to build community and host writing and editing events (both virtual and IRL,) both for getting work done and just for socializing!

Who are you?

Really! Who are you? I’d love to know a little about what brought you here and what you’d like to see. Whether you’re reading this as soon as it goes live, or months or years down the line, I want to know what you're on the hunt for. 

Are you searching for posts that… 

• inspire you, like writing prompts and exercises? 

• motivate you, like goal and habit setting? 

• teach you, like grammar, structure and “rules of thumb”?

• stimulate you, like opinion pieces and hot takes?

Or something else entirely?

I do have a long list of ideas for future posts, but if there's a strong desire for something specific, I certainly want to give you what you want!

Thanks for reading! I look forward to chatting with you in the comments and maybe helping you with your short story, business blog or informational document!

Seeking even more "introduction?" you can checkout my NewbieTag video on the companion YouTube channel!