Unlocking Timeless Wisdom: Nine Surprising Secrets from a Veteran Writer You Won’t Want to Miss
I am 72 years old and have been a columnist and a freelance writer for over fifty years. I’ve written a continuous column for the same magazine for 45 years. That’s probably not a record, but it is lengthy enough to have learned some valuable lessons. I hope my lessons can help you with your writing life too.
- Take risks. Early in my hungry career, I sent letters and writing samples to newspapers and asked if they would need a guest columnist for a vacationing writer. I got two jobs that way.
I also wrote non-traditional pieces such as obituaries, “Teacher of the Year” acceptance speeches and love letters for would-be Lotharios. I wrote lesson plans for busy teachers and helped write grants for a small university, as well as political speeches for a local candidate. I had a syndicated column in ten weekly newspapers before I transitioned to the twice- a- month column that has continued for over 45 years and resulted in two books.
