Why I Write

I developed a love for newspapers the summer after sixth grade (1976), when we stayed at a camp without running water or electricity. Beneath the porch were stacks upon stacks of old newspapers. I read them endlessly, then eagerly clipped out the articles that caught my interest.

That’s where I first learned to scrapbook—carefully pasting those clippings into the pages of Ladies’ Home Journal and Better Homes and Gardens. (I still have a few of those old scrap-magazines, their pages filled with yellowed articles.)

Not long after, I began writing my own “newspaper” for family and friends, sharing the happenings of our home. I suspect my parents and sister might have preferred a bit more editorial restraint.

In high school, I wrote for the school newspaper and published my first front-page article in 1982, when the strongest earthquake in 120 years struck New England, registering 5.9 on the Richter scale.

As the years passed, the writing career I once hoped would be my livelihood took a back seat to marriage, raising children, and the need for a steady income. Still, I found ways to keep writing—taking correspondence courses and the occasional college creative writing class whenever I could afford it, which wasn’t often.

Over time, I worked a variety of jobs—dog grooming, radio sales, car sales, pizza making, and secretarial work—before eventually landing a position with a direct mail and marketing company. There, I was given the opportunity to write the company newsletter. It was unpaid and done in my spare time, but it gave me something I valued deeply: the chance to write for an audience. I continued on and off for seven years, until the company decided they wanted a “professional” newsletter.

Eventually, I left that job and moved to South Carolina, ready for a change. I became co-owner of a small business where the boss just happens to be my husband (a definite perk), where I created, designed, and maintained the company website along with all marketing materials—until we ultimately had to close. Not long after, I found myself writing more often, working from home for a huge marking corporation with lots of different campaigns and opportunities.

I later helped write a promotional cookbook for a Christian discipleship program supporting men and women struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. I’ve also been published in Cooking Pleasures and have spent years blogging recipes—something I like to think has been helpful to many home cooks.

I’ve never been one to list my accomplishments, but writing this has been a bit of a revelation. It reminded me that I do, in fact, have a meaningful collection of experiences and achievements.

While I don’t believe there’s anything entirely new under the sun, I do believe in the power of presenting familiar ideas in fresh and engaging ways—so they feel new again.

I’d like to think we’re not judged by our biographies alone, but by how well we connect, communicate, and bring a subject to life. As the saying goes, don’t judge a book by its cover.

I hope you enjoy my blog—and maybe even find a bit of inspiration along the way.

Cheers,