I’ve always been an avid reader and writer. Back in the days of letter grades only, I don’t recall getting less than an A-minus in my high school and college English composition classes (I know. I’m showing my age. No judgment please.)
When thinking about my professional life, I realize that although I never actively pursued a writing career, writing has somehow attached itself to each of my work experiences.
After graduating from college, I worked at Mutual Benefit Life, a now defunct insurance company. I researched customer appeals and wrote reports confirming or reversing former claims decisions.
My first entrepreneurial venture was opening a gallery where I restored and sold previously owned furniture. While purging old papers, I found an article I wrote for the At Home section of local newspaper, the Independent Press. The article, Garage sale: Treasure of troubles?, examined the pros and cons of foraging these back and front yard events. I also recall writing an article for Garden State Woman many years ago. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a copy of the published article, nor do I remember its title. In addition, I self-published a book about small business ownership called The Heart and Soul of Entrepreneurship. If interested, you can find a copy on my website.
During my many years of working in the nonprofit world, I was tasked with writing in a more specialized nature. I researched and composed grant proposals which collectively raised several millions of dollars for deserving organizations, including a nonprofit I founded and served as Executive Director for several years. I also designed a financial literacy curriculum and co-authored a Guide to Developing a Comprehensive Fundraising Plan designed to assist nonprofit boards with their resource development efforts.
My hardest challenge was writing the contributing chapter, Researching Your Topic, for Carnegie Writers’ textbook, Strategies and Tactics for Multidisciplinary Writing, published by Information Science Reference. Compiling the content for this submission required more research than I recall ever having to perform for papers I wrote in college. Never again!
My recent attempts lean more toward the creative than technical as I currently pen this blog. The theme is treating your career and personal experiences like a business. Topics focus on entrepreneurship and personal finance management. I often choose to go off track and write about other totally unrelated topics. I can’t help myself.
As you can see, nonfiction writing followed me throughout every aspect of my professional career. The pandemic, however, coaxed me to try my hand at writing fiction. Now I’m happily exploring that world and enjoying doing so. I’ve written several short stories. I also completed my first novel, am working on my second and have ideas for a third. Though not yet highly compensated, I have experienced the honor of seeing some of my work published.
Every day I reflect on a saying I have taped to my computer that reads “Your investment in time will lead to amazing fortune.” These words have wrung true for me, both financially and spiritually. Reading and writing have served as my lifetime companions. I sincerely recommend both pastimes to all.
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