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About Ellie Barton
Hi! My name is Ellie Barton. I'm so glad you're here, taking steps to get your true story into the world.
Helping memoir writers is my vocation. I didn't know this for decades. But looking back, all the jobs I've ever had (well, most of them), my intense love of reading, my intuitive powers of critiquing, my questioning and curiosity and empathy -- all have led me to this place of service to you and your story.
My Circuitous Path
My nose has been stuck in a book since I was a kid. I followed my nose into school and came out many years later with a master’s in English at Queen’s University. Not knowing what the heck to do with that, I bumbled into writing for the Kingston Whig-Standard. I moved on to work as a communications officer for Ongwanada, and later, for Providence Care.
I saw myself as a writer, and I was. I wrote feature articles and book reviews, newsletters and annual reports. I even wrote two books – organizational histories about big personalities trying to work together for a cause bigger than themselves.
After writing those books, I needed a change. What about editing? I’d never thought of that before! I enrolled in the publishing certificate at Metropolitan Toronto University. After completing my first course – copy editing – I got lucky. The editor for a publications unit at Queen’s was retiring, and I stepped into her role. For the next ten years, I edited journal articles and scholarly books for university presses, and also worked as a tutor at the Queen’s Writing Centre.
I’ve been a member of Editors Canada since 2004. I served as coordinator of Editors Kingston and developed two certification exams.
Shifting Focus to Memoir and Nonfiction
I had plenty of work as a scholarly editor, but I really wanted to work on memoir and trade nonfiction – the kind of nonfiction you buy in a bookstore. Memoir uses the techniques of fiction to tell a true story, and so to work as a memoir editor, I had to broaden my skill set. I devoured craft books on writing fiction and took many courses and webinars.
Still, I felt that something was missing. I was working with authors on finished manuscripts, but I wanted to support them throughout the writing and publishing process. The answer – another course, of course! Two years of training with Author Accelerator filled this gap. I’m now certified as a memoir and nonfiction book coach.
What else I like to do
I buy too many books, walk long distances, grow a tangle of vegetables, and wrangle kids and partners together for family gatherings. I took up the flute as an adult and belong to a 16-piece flute choir, aptly named Flutissimo.
In the past four years I’ve walked four long-distance trails in the UK: the Cotswold’s Way, Offa’s Dyke, St. Cuthbert’s Way, and the Coast to Coast Path. These ancient footpaths ground me in the present and connect me to ages past.
I’m infinitely curious about history, the ancient ways, different cultures and beliefs, rocks and trees, death and loss, and what it all means.
Despite being a bookish kid, I’m a tomboy at heart. I played hockey back in the 1970s, when girls hockey was just getting started. I got a football for my tenth birthday. I broke my nose playing soccer. have no aptitude for sewing. I’m good at climbing trees.
I live in Kingston, a block from Lake Ontario and a half-hour drive to the woods and lakes of the Canadian Shield. These beautiful lands and waters are the traditional territories of the Anishinaabek and Haudenosaunee.
Quick Links
Editing Services
Coaching Services
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