About J.E. Vance - Or, Johnathan, if I must be.
It’s always been hard to sum up an entire life into a small box; that’s why historically, even back in the MySpace days (yes, I’m that old), people have been loath to fill them out. But for posterity’s sake…
The quick version of who I am is:
Reader
Writer
Gamer
Husband
Word Nerd
Nature Lover
Disney Adult
Transcendentalist
Self-styled Superhero
Career Content Specialist
Soon-to-be published author
Tolkien-esque Sensibilist (a word I invented)
These things combined, and more, are J.E. Vance, or as most people in regular life refer to me: Johnathan.
My whole life, I’ve been a poor talker, and luckily for me, that made me a good writer. Perhaps because I’m a poor talker, for the first 28 years of my life, maybe more, I’ve been trying to be things that I am not—to make people happy—who didn’t even ask me for anything.
After a pretty gnarly layoff (you can learn more about my professional career here), I decided that I’d start trying to talk more about what I want for my life, voicing my opinions on what I believe should be possible.
The thing is, what I want is to write more.
And get paid.
Stop laughing.
If you’re looking for a story (who isn’t?), mine isn’t one of those types of stories where I drown you in my self-pity and beg for whatever scraps you’ll throw my way. This isn’t LinkedIn.
No, my—boring—story goes a little like this:
Then:
Been a writer since I was 9 years old
Went to college for business against my will
Built a successful career in B2B content and communications
Ended in a major series of contract layoffs that sparked financial hardship
Now:
Writing a novel
Working as an MA to pay the bills
Putting in the work to get a staff strategist/writing position
That’s the short and sweet version of what I have going on, but really, all I want is to be writing professionally again. Now, more than ever, businesses need to be able to stand out in a flood of ChatGPT articles and emails. It’s pathetic and not profitable.
So, this is me, queuing up for another wacky adventure, hoping to find the right role to settle into while building a body of work.
TL;DR
I want two things in this life:
To become a staff strategist/writer/editor for a website, magazine, or company.
To become a published author who alters a genre (Grimdark, I’m looking at you).
Put simply, I want to be paid for my ability to write persuasively, soulfully, and with creative flair in a world that increasingly rejects the human spirit.
I know how that sounds, and I embrace the challenge because I’ll never sacrifice who I am again.
So, here’s to chasing the things we want relentlessly.
