THE LIGHTER SIDE: More About Me

Who is Antonia Morton, anyway?

Who’s the woman behind the work, the person inside the professional? Not just a skilled editor, and certainly not just a pretty face, I’m also a word whisperer, a line tamer, a message therapist, and a demanding editrix.

The Word Whisperer

Some people wrangle horses; I wrestle words. My goal is to convince your uncooperative text to do what YOU want it to.
 

Robert Redford reassures a skittish stallion in the film The Horse Whisperer.

Antonia Morton coaxes a stubborn magazine article in the office of Eagle Eye Editing.

The Wonder Years

I’ve worked for Canada’s national news agency * I’ve kayaked after whales in the Bay of Fundy * I have a mean slam at badminton * I set myself challenges * I’ve marched in uniform with the Governor General's Foot Guards * I play the recorder for fun * I believe every word in a story should be there for a good reason * I’ve wielded an oxyacetylene torch * I’ve hammered houses together on a framing crew * My voice has been heard across Canada on CBC Radio * I’ve climbed mountains in Scotland * I swim like a fish * I’ve photographed mummified corpses in Mexico * I love cross-country skiing * I cook great risotto * I’ve written editorials that provoked floods of mail * I’ve swaggered across a stage in breeches and sword, declaiming Shakespeare * I’ve fired rifles on an army firing range * I have lightning-fast fingers on the keyboard * I’ve toured the ruins of ancient Pompeii * I’ve sung Mozart’s Requiem and Handel’s Messiah in a choir * I’ve tutored in an adult literacy clinic * I’ve ridden elephants in the Thai jungle * I’m a snappy and daring driver * I have the gift of the gab * My kids’ friends think I’m the world’s coolest mom * At meetings of my professional association, people come up to me, shake my hand, and exclaim: “So you’re Antonia Morton! "

The Virgo Traits

The stars have apparently decided that August and September are the best months for producing editors: we Virgos are all meticulous, analytical perfectionists. Our preciseness of mind and our love of good order enables us to excel at what we do – especially as we’re also observant, critically inclined, and have an excellent eye for detail. Virgo thoroughness and conscientiousness are major assets in editing, as is our passion for the correct use of language.

The downside is that we also tend to be fussy, overcritical worrywarts. Our narrow focus on exactness can cause us to overlook larger issues, so we perform better as followers than leaders. We Virgos focus on the trees, not the forest; we’re “detail” people rather than “big-picture” people.

The Photo Gallery