About Me — Michael Major. I’m a bit of an odd character
By: Michael Major
Tags: About Me

Michael Major on a recent hunt — Picture by Michael Major

About Me — Michael Major

I’ve written this six times.

Six bloody times typing out a synopsis to let all of you know who I am. The previous attempts didn’t quite hit the mark and failed to capture my unique nature. I think that I was finding it difficult to speak about myself, and the character I play in my life story, or perhaps I simply do not temet nosce.

I can’t keep re-writing this forever, so here is what I think you should know about me.

What is it that brings me here?

While it is myself that hammers on a keyboard and scribbles in notebooks, truth be told, there is only one reason why I’ve been able to find any success at this game.

I married a remarkably strong woman who makes me a better person, due to the fact she will always be a superior human to me. If not for her I would never have felt that my writing was worthy of being seen by the public eye, not to mention daring to be paid for crafting those words. Without my gorgeous wife, you would not be reading these words today, and it is her that has made me the writer I am.

It was she that asked me how writers like myself get paid work. It was a question that I had no answer to, and after a quick trip through the Google machine, I discovered the wonderful and soul-crushing world of querying magazines. My first query letter landed me a paid article in a local magazine and the confidence to query more. This in turn led me to seek out more work and to start my fledgling freelance writing business.

Without her support, this journey of mine would have fizzled out and disappeared long ago.

Following The Path

Growing up I would write stories and poems regularly, and to say that I was a bit of a geek would be an understatement. I was a hardcore Trekker, loved everything to do with science fiction as well as science fact, and would read damned near any book I can get my hands on. I was also passionate about the outdoors and spent far too much time wading in the local creek pursuing trout.

Throughout it all, I had a dream of becoming a soldier so that is exactly what I did. Joining the Royal Westminster Regiment in 1998 at the age of 17. I volunteered to deploy overseas to Bosnia as a peacekeeper in 2000 spending nearly seven months deployed. I was totally devoted to the military, planning to transfer to the regular forces and make a career of it.

Then, as the story often goes, I met a girl, fell in love, and became totally devoted to her. My path was with her and what I needed was a civilian career which meant that it was time to hang up my uniform.

So what does a former soldier with no mechanical or fabrication skills do?

I became a welder. Then I learned to fabricate and developed a pretty extensive set of trades skills. That was back in 2005 and fifteen years later I've married my soulmate, we have two kids, a house in the suburbs, and a chocolate lab named Milo. If this isn't the Canadian dream I don’t know what is.

I kind of accidentally stumbled into peddling my wares in the bazaars of the internet writing gig economy. That journey began with an email-rant read on air by a local radio personality and finds itself here on Medium with a meager level of writing street cred. Being a freelance writer was something that other people did and I always assumed that a degree was a prerequisite. It was through my blitzkrieg of queries and articles that I, with a lack of higher education, was able to land paid work.

2020 saw the birth of my freelance writing business which is far from replacing my day job but has provided some additional cash to fund my hobbies.

Temet Nosce

Yes, I’m still a nerd, but one who runs 5K with a weighted vest because a regular 5K run doesn't suck enough. I cook, bake, clean, sew, but despite my best efforts, I still suck at knitting. My sourdough bread is getting pretty well dialed in and I am engaged in an annual cinnamon bun rivalry. I am a bushcrafter, survivalist, traditional bowhunter, angler, and ham radio operator who is a hardcore ‘90 Day Fiance’ fan.

I may not be into Star Trek anymore but if you want to talk about Star Wars, superhero movies, or sci-fi in general I’m your guy. You might want to not watch action or war movies with me unless you want a running commentary of every inaccuracy.

I’m the guy who listed Jedi Knight as my religion on the last census form I filled out. My kids however refuse to believe that I am a real Jedi due to my total lack of Jedi skills and lightsaber.

My interests are very diverse and I strive to have at minimum a basic understanding of most topics. I am not one to have an unanswered question rolling around my brain, which leads me to Google and dive down a rabbit hole after rabbit hole.

I think that what it comes down to is that underneath the scars, calloused hands, tattoos, crewcut, and faded denim is a guy who loves to create regardless of the medium.

If you managed to make it to these closing words and you are still wondering who in the hell this Michael Major guy is…good… because so am I.

Check out my writer's website at:

www.MajorFreelanceWriting.com

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