Writer Elizabeth Joyce

It probably sounds cliché to say I have been writing for as long as I can remember – but I have. I still have notebooks of stories in my childish handwriting and a binder of poems I penned throughout my school years (a callus on my finger serves as testament to the hours upon hours I spent writing and rewriting my poems and stories by hand). Creative Writing courses were among my favorites in college. I have floppy disks full of my young adult musings (though I no longer have a floppy disk drive to read them). I have been blogging (personal accounts of daily life for a limited audience of family and friends) since 2004. Later, I added a public blog to chronicle my family's travels. In 2016, I was paid $100 for a personal essay to be published online and thus began this blog and my career as a freelance writer and author.

I enjoy writing immensely – in all forms and on a variety of topics. I write non-fiction and fiction, poetry and prose, blog posts, articles, short stories, and (despite the name of this blog) books. In fact, the only thing I despise writing is my own bio. Seriously. Using third person to try to make myself sound interesting within a few concisely worded sentences is the absolute worst.

Here are just a few of my attempts:

These days, Elizabeth Joyce is just an ordinary mom who lives in Illinois with her husband, son, and twin daughters. Though to get to this ordinary life, she had to battle cancer, undergo infertility treatments, survive a near-death experience during the birth of her son, and enlist the help of a gestational surrogate to birth her twin daughters. She enjoys ordinary.

That one was a little long – and didn't even mention that I write.

Elizabeth Joyce is just an ordinary mom who lives in Illinois with her husband, son, and twin daughters. She enjoys writing about anything and everything. She may never write a book — but, then again, maybe she will. Follow Elizabeth on Facebook to find out if she ever does.

Come on. No one is intrigued enough to follow me based on that.

Writer Elizabeth Joyce lives in Illinois with her husband, son, and twin daughters. For fun, she blogs about her family’s travel experiences at Joyce Family Travels.

Or

Elizabeth Joyce lives in Illinois with her husband, son, and twin daughters. She is a freelance writer and, in her free time, a self-appointed family historian. She has spent years tracking down her children’s immigrant ancestors’ stories. [She is currently seeking publication of] American[,] her first book.

Both true and concise – but missing so much! Maybe I should skip the third person – and the complete sentences.

Essayist • Poet • Author • Anxiety Struggler & Mental Health Advocate • Cancer & Traumatic Childbirth Survivor • Mom via IVF/FET & Gestational Surrogacy • Bisexual in a Mindfully Monogamous Marriage • Family Historian • Budget Traveler • Simple, Ordinary Life Enthusiast

*Sigh*

Clearly, I still have much to learn about the art of bio writing.

I'd love for you to get to know me, why I write, and what I am writing. Please peruse the pages of this blog and connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, and Threads; I'd love to get to know you, too!