An Anniversary: How I Became a Full-Time Writer

Ten years ago, at the end of July 1996, I sold the interior landscape company I had owned and operated for nearly 20 years.

Four years earlier I had a stroke as a result of a chiropractic manipulation. I’d always dreamed of writing “someday,” but it took that major wake-up call to realize “someday” is today!

When I woke up in the hospital the morning after the stroke, I was paralyzed on my right side, had lost sensation on my left side, had distorted vision, couldn’t talk, couldn’t raise my head off the pillow because my balance center was destroyed … actually the only thing I could do was throw up, which I did often and well! And the neurologist told me unless there was significant improvement in three days, I would probably be like that the rest of my life.

I realized I had two choices: either give up or do everything possible to prove the doctor wrong. For the next three days, I lay in the bed trying to move the fingers of my right hand and to lift my right shoulder off the bed so I could grasp the bed rail. Somehow, I knew if I could do that within three days, I would be fine. So I tried to move my fingers, said “move, move, move” over and over again in my mind, and prayed and prayed and prayed. In the wee hours of the morning of the third day, my fingers moved and I managed to lift my shoulder far enough off the bed to reach the rail.

I wanted to shout to the world – or at least call my husband – but I couldn’t reach the phone or talk coherently so I had to wait until morning to share my joy.

After more than a month in the hospital and rehabilitation center, I was able to go home – using a wheelchair in public but able to walk around my house using the walls or furniture for support. Although I continued in therapy for months, I went to back to work in my business right away. The doctor told me it was unusual for anyone to return to work so soon after such a major stroke, but he knew me well enough to agree it would be better for me to be busy and active. And I loved my business and didn’t want it to fail, and I certainly didn’t want my employees to lose their jobs. I couldn’t do much at first, but my stamina and abilities steadily improved.

Managing a business, especially an interior landscape company which involved physical activity, proved to be a challenge while trying to recover from the stroke and using a scooter to get around. However, it was important for me to prove to myself that I could do it. And I did it – though certainly not on my own.

My husband Jack had to do a lot of things for me, as well as take over all the household duties and help with the business. He did it all without complaint and with complete confidence that I would get well.

My employees, including my sister Nancy who managed the maintenance department, were superb, doing everything possible to make my life easier.

I am eternally grateful to my family and my staff and know I would not have come as far as I did without them.

During this time, I decided that if I was ever going to realize my dream of becoming a writer, I had get started. It was about two years before I improved enough to write – the paralysis in my hand made typing difficult and I didn’t have enough stamina to do anything else after working in my business. But as soon as I could, I started writing a novel, Stroke of Luck. Since the heroine in the story goes through the same challenges I did, writing the book was therapeutic as well as a start on fulfilling my dream.

I continued to operate my business during the week and write on weekends until I sold the company ten years ago. Then I started my new life as a full-time writer – but I was a writer from the moment I wrote the first word of my novel.

Related Posts: Four-part series for National Stroke Awareness Month: My Stroke – the Beginning, My Stroke – The Next Three Days, My Stroke – the Aftermath, and Stroke Risk Factors and Symptoms

[tags]writing, stroke, overcoming challenge[/tags]

The Bible Told Them So

At first glance, the subject of this post might not seem to have anything to do with writing. However, I believe the Holy Bible is the greatest book ever written. We can all aspire to that level of writing, but our human attempts will always be pitiful compared to the Word of God.

Columnist Mike Adams has a great column at Townhall.com entitled “The Bible told them so.” In it, he says, “The God-inspired writers of the Bible have always been well ahead of the scientists – “a scenario that hasn’t changed from the days of Moses to the days of Darwin, or even now in the 21st century.” He goes on to give examples of Scriptures that were contradictory to the “science” of the day but have proven to be scientifically accurate. A fascinating article!

I recommend the column … but even more I recommend regular reading of the divinely-inspired Word of God.

Focus and Organization

I recently mentioned the variety of editing and writing work I do … and I love it. However, sometimes the number and variety of projects I’m juggling require organization and focus.

In the first two days of this week, I’ve edited a board report for a community leader, finished up a church newsletter, created a magazine ad for a realtor, spent time planning a Web site project with a business client, resolved some formatting problems in a policy and procedures manual for a consultant, and completed the final edits on a doctoral dissertation.

When I look at the things I have scheduled and the deadlines to complete them, I could easily be overwhelmed. Most of the time, everybody wants everything yesterday.:o) So I keep a detailed list of tasks in my to-do list – I use Outlook, but there are other programs that work just as well. For every task I try to put the due date before the actual deadline so I have flexibility to take on rush projects and to allow for problems or delays. Outlook has plenty of room so I make notes to have all the information on the task right there in my to-do list, and I record progress of long-term projects as well as information or contacts I’m waiting for … and the absolute “drop-dead” date.

Things I do regularly – such as weekly Web site updates, monthly newsletters, and the once-a-year volunteer duties for a student writing contest - become recurring tasks.

One thing that works for me that is contrary to usual advice is that I spend a lot of time on e-mail first thing in the morning Actually I’m a night owl, usually working til 4 or 5 am … so “morning” comes later in the day for me than many people; you’re more apt to find me at my desk/computer after midnight than before noon. But when I start my workday, I go through e-mail and try to clean out my inboxes. Much of my business is conducted via e-mail, so checking for messages from clients is important. My messages are filtered into several different mailboxes so if I have an urgent project waiting, I look at the mail in my ”In” box only; the others can wait. However, generally, I empty all the mailboxes, responding and filing or deleting messages as I go. Lots of unread/unanswered messages make me feel like there’s even more work for me to do; taking action on the morning’s e-mails gives me a sense of achievement.

Then when I work on a project, I focus on that project. If I have an idea on another project, out comes the Outlook task for a note. Making a note where it will be found when needed frees my mind of distractions and helps me give my full attention to the current project. By focusing on one thing at a time, I’m able to accomplish a number of different tasks each day.

The last thing I do when leaving the office at the end of the workday is to back up my computer onto an external USB hard drive. Whatever files have been used during the day – e-mail, Outlook, documents, financial records – are copied to the secondary hard drive. Not long ago my computer crashed and the hard drive had to be reformatted. Although it took several days to reinstall programs and restore data, all I lost was the current day’s work. And fortunately, just about everything had already been e-mailed to clients. You can get a copy of a free report I wrote – The Absolutely Best Way to Protect Your Valuable Data: A Paranoid’s Guide to Computer Backup – from Your Information Center.

Organization and focus can mean the difference between accomplishing a large number and variety of tasks and being overwhelmed by “too much to do and not enough time to do it.”

[tags]organization, productivity[/tags]

A Great Review!

David Bowles has received a number of excellent reviews for his book Spring House: Book 1 in the Westward Sagas that I edited. You can find excerpts from the reviews on the Web site.

Here’s a snippet from the latest:

“A compelling story of love, family, community, war, struggle and history, ‘Spring House’ is much more than any ordinary family history could be, and should leave any reader feeling both satisfied and informed.”
—Arthur Erickson, Genealogy Librarian, Greensboro Public Library, in The Guilford Genealogist, Vol. 33, No. 2, Summer, 2006, Issue No. 113

As an editor, I am as thrilled as the author to read comments like this (and the page and half more in this extensive review!). The books I edit as as much my “babies” as the ones I write!

Freelance Variety

One of the things I like best about being a freelance writer is the variety of projects that come across my desk (or more accurately … across my computer screen).

These are a few of the assignments I’m working on now or have completed recently:

- compiling a book that will be part autobiography and part poetry written by the author’s grandmother and transcribed from her personal diary

 - writing a letter for a business to notify the customers of a name change

- researching background information to help a client create an educational association; then I will write copy and develop a Web site and informational brochures

- editing and formatting a doctoral dissertation

- revising a seminary thesis from an academic document to a book that will be readable and enjoyable for the target audience

- editing a resume and writing cover letters for an executive in his job search

- ghostwriting a feature article for a businessperson to be published in a business newspaper

- continuing to maintain and update the Web sites for  Westward Sagas, Richard Turner, GASLight Publishing, AZ Commercial Property, and All Saints Anglican Church (this one is not a client but a labor of love) as well as my own Web site and the personal Web page of my husband Jack Ammann.

Some writers specialize in certain types of writing or editing, but I enjoy doing many different things. Since I was in business for nearly 20 years, I have a lot of experience that is helpful to business clients, and I enjoy using my knowledge. But I also really love to take a manuscript – whether it’s a novel, an academic paper, or a nonfiction article – and help the author make it the best it can be.

[tags]freelance writing[/tags]

World eBook Fair

Project Gutenberg is a nonprofit organization that has provided free e-books on the Internet since 1971.

This month, Project Gutenberg is sponsoring the World eBook Fair, bringing together several other e-book collections in addition to its own 20,000 titles. During the fair, more than 300,000 e-books are available in one place for free download. More than a million books are being downloaded every day.

If you want to follow C. S. Lewis’ advice, mentioned in the post below, and read some of the great classics, the World eBook Fair offers a wonderful opportunity to find just what you’re looking for. And you can download your choices immediately for free!

Reading … thoughts from C. S. Lewis

Writers are first of all readers.

I ran across a blog post on Jolly Blogger - not sure how I got there … maybe from an e-mail or following links from another site. The post contains the text of  C. S. Lewis’s introduction to Athanasius on the Incarnation, which makes an excellent case for reading older books. Too often we read what someone says about what someone else said … Why not go the source and read what the original writer really said?

And the great classics are readily available on the Internet – generally for free. I have a page of links to free ebooks on my Web site. If you’d like to take C. S. Lewis’ advice – go to the source and read some of the great classics!

Let’s Say Thanks!

Here’s your chance to write a few words that make a difference in someone’s life … and all writers want to do that!

Let’s Say Thanks will print and mail a postcard to a deployed soldier to thank them for their service. There is a choice of several patriotic designs, all created by children. Choose a design, then type in your message. Xerox prints and mails the postcards once a month.

You can’t choose who the message goes to, but every one of our soldiers can benefit from a word of encouragement. If you want to send cards directly to people you know, you can download designs and print your own postcards.

This is support of our troops, who put themselves in harm’s way for our freedom. Regardless of how you feel about government actions, our troops deserve our appreciation and support.

Fr. Jerry Sherbourne, who was my priest at All Saints Anglican Church before joining the Army as a chaplain, is currently stationed in Iraq. He is involved with a project, Operation School Drop/Double Blessing, to collect educational games and toys for Iraqi school children. Not only does this directly benefit the kids, it also helps win hearts and mind … and blesses the soldiers who participate in this positive activity.

Write What You Know or Know What You Write?

Professional —  and aspiring — writers often hear the advice, “Write what you know.” After all, an avid mystery reader is more likely to write a believable mystery novel than someone who reads only science-fiction, the resident of a small town in a Southern state will probably describe the lifestyle of Small Town, Southern US more accurately than a person who has never left the environs of a big city in the North, and an experienced pet-owner is apt to write a better article on how to keep your cat happy than an individual who has never owned an animal.

If you are writing a book or a magazine article, “Write what you know” may be excellent advice.

However, many people don’t have the luxury of choosing the topics of their writing. You may be a student assigned to write an essay on a specific subject or an employee told to write a speech for your boss. When you can’t “write what you know,” then you must “know what you write.”

And there’s no better way to “know what you write” than to follow the research tips the free report Finding the Information You Need — Research Tips for Your Family, Business, or Personal Pursuits. You can learn to find information in the library, on the Internet, and from less obvious places, such as other people.

“Write what you know” or “know what you write”? Either works — just don’t try to write what you don’t know!

Search Inside the Book

There is a lot of controversy about the Search Inside the Book programs by Amazon.com and Google.com. Some publishers and authors are concerned that too much of the book’s content will be revealed to the public and cut into sales.

I realize there are some kinds of books that probably aren’t well-suited to the book search. If someone is searching for a recipe, for example, and they can find it by searching inside a cookbook, they might be tempted to copy the recipe and not buy the book.

But I think most books benefit from readers being able to read some of the copy.  In a bookstore, buyers frequently read the back cover blurb and the first paragraphs or pages of a book to decide whether it appeals to them. When buying online, the Search Inside the Book offers the same opportunity.

Spring House has been available at Amazon.com but the first sale didn’t happen until after author David Bowles added the “Search Inside” feature. Coincidence? Maybe …

Spring House is also part of Google.com’s Book Search. I’ll be watching both of these programs with the optimistic view that sales will increase as more people can flip through the pages of the book online as they would in a bookstore.