What Inpired Me to Start Writing

My mini-bio

From very young I always had a strong and vivid imagination. Often, I would go into a sort of trance, concocting imaginary places and characters. I was always creating stories; some I wrote down and others I kept locked away in my head. I was burning to write something and have the world read it but lacked the courage to publish—until my 60’s!

It began after I retired from teaching and worked briefly in sales. I was bored with my job until my husband, Gregg approached me about going to Switzerland to live for six months. His company was looking to send one of its employees to their overseas office to learn another aspect of the business. Gregg volunteered. I took a leave of absence from my job and soon we were embarking on an adventure I would have never dreamed we would experience. The company paid for us to reside in a cozy little ski lodge apartment on the top floor of a two-family house owned by a native family in a rural area surrounded by the Alps.

I could not get a work Visa so while Gregg was working, I would travel and explore the landscape of the Alps and many other cultural jewels of the country. I wanted to keep a record of what I had seen and done so purchased a journal.

Once I had returned off the train and was back at the apartment, I began writing about all the wonderful places and natural landscape I had witnessed. Unfortunately, my travel pass expired and we decided it was too expensive to renew. In the meantime, I had filled up the journal but that didn’t stop me from continuing to write. I began a screenplay and before I knew if I had finished it and was beginning another. Before our residency ended I had completed two screenplays and a travel journal.

As we were getting ready to leave, I told Gregg I did not want to return to my job. All the writing I had done had impassioned me to start a writing business once we returned to the U.S. Soon my business, The Prolific Word was born, and I had become a self-employed content marketing writer. While residing in Switzerland I had re-discovered my true passion-- to tell stories, yet they weren’t my own.

In 2022, I published my first book, a children’s environmental story about a group of shellfish who are determined to find a solution to surviving in their polluted ocean.  Inspiration came in two ways. First, a client whose book I was editing encouraged me to write my own book. I wanted to write a book but didn’t know what to write about.  Then one morning when I awoke, a working title, “The Selfish Shellfish”, just popped into my head. With this book I brought my teaching experience, passion for words, concern for the planet and how this would impact the younger generation.

Since then, my passion for storytelling has expanded into the romance genre. “Miranda” began as a short story in a creative writing workshop, but I became so invested in the character that I developed it into a full novel. Drawing from personal experience, the main character is faced with the challenges and triumphs of starting over later in life. Much like my protagonist, I have undergone a mid-life reinvention when I found love again with Gregg after many years of divorce and launched my writing business in 2016.

Through my experience in living in Switzerland and working with business clients to help tell their stories as well as telling my own, I believe I am living proof that it is never too late in life to pursue your dreams and excel at what you like to do.

Have a dream and want to make it happen? Looking to start afresh with new goals? Here is a free download of 30 affirmations to encourage and motivate you:

DEC 5 POST--AFFIRMATIONS FOR STARTING OVER.docx

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Business Writing Vs. Creative Writing

Writing is a way we express our thoughts and ideas, whether on paper or on a computer screen. There are different kinds of writing depending on what we want to communicate and who we are sending the message to. Generally, there are two types of writing, formal and informal. From there, we can further break them down into different categories such as Creative Writing, Business and Marketing Writing, Technical and Research Writing, and Academic Writing.

For this article, though, we will concentrate on Business and Creative Writing, their differences and similarities.

Business Writing involves writing facts about aspects of business, such as products and services. It is clear, concise, and provides relevant information to the readers.

Although formal in nature, business writing can be written in a conversational tone and second person to build trust. Copywriting is designed to be persuasive, enticing a consumer to buy. When written with this approach, the tone is less formal because the reader gets the impression that whatever they are reading is meant for them and designed to help them resolve a pain point.

In contrast, Creative Writing, such as novels, short stories, bios, poems, and screenplays, is about creating an imaginary world through narration and character development. Ideas and thoughts are expressed to entertain and elicit emotion rather than to inform.

However, both can be similar in that they can open a world of knowledge to readers and make them feel. There can be a mingling of facts within a piece of fiction or an injection of creative flair within a piece of non-fiction. For instance, historical fiction has a narrative set against a particular event in history, and a blog giving information on a topic can be written in a tone that elicits feelings related to a value system or point of view surrounding that topic.  

Business and Creative Writing may serve different purposes, one to inform and the other to entertain, but the law of attraction applies to both in that each has a specific audience that is looking to have their needs and wants met, whether through facts or fantasy. If the writing is well done, it will attract readers who want either or both.

Comma Usage

Commas serve an important purpose in sentences. Besides the period, they are one of the most common forms of punctuation. They allow us to pause quickly while reading to make sense of what is being conveyed or to take a breath when speaking.

 Some rules may be obvious to the English writer, like placing a comma after the day in a date, although it is easy to overuse or omit a comma where needed. Here are the nine most common comma usage rules to be aware of.

 Coordinate Conjunctions: They are used after and, but, for, nor, yet, and or, when these connect two independent clauses. If you add a comma between two independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction, it is called a comma splice and is incorrect.

Example: The volleyball game was cancelled, yet they still had the pizza party.

Comma Splice:  The volleyball game was cancelled, they still had the pizza party.

 Lists: Unless you are using bulleted formatting, use commas to separate different items in a sentence. Please note that the UK rule differs from the US because a comma is omitted between the last two items. There is no right or wrong, as long as you care to be consistent.

Examples: US usage: You will need eggs, butter, flour, and sugar to make the cake.

UK usage: You will need eggs, butter, flour and sugar to make the cake.

 Non-Restrictive Clauses: Add a comma before extra or non-essential information and after phrases like such as, otherwise, and which.

Example: Many water sports are offered at the shore, such as jet skiing, parasailing, and windsurfing.

 Multiple Adjectives: Include commas between adjacent adjectives within sentences.

Example: It was a cold, damp day in December.

 One-sentence Quotations: A comma is used before or after a quote in a short sentence.

Example: “A penny saved is a penny earned,” said Benjamin Franklin. (OR)

Benjamin Franklin said, “A penny saved is a penny earned.”

 Transitional Phrases: Transitional phrases connect related ideas or show contrast in a sentence. Place a comma after a transitional phrase like however, so, nevertheless, consequently, as a result, for example, and thus. 

Example of comma placement for a transitional phrase: Consequently, they could not make the trip.

Introductory Phrases: These set the stage for the meaning of the sentence. Place a comma after the introduction and before the sentence's main clause.

Example of comma placement for an introductory phrase: After her successful date with Ron, Patricia looked forward to seeing him again.

 Personal Address: In writing, add a comma after the name or noun when addressing another person or group. Add commas before and after directly addressed names added mid-sentence.

Examples: 1. Maggie, where did you park the car? 

                   2. I want you to know, Amy, that I’ll always love you.

Geographical Connection: Add a comma between two geographical names. Additional commas should be included after related geographical names in the middle of sentences.

Examples: 1. Nashville, TN, Stockholm, Sweden

                  2. I have lived in Monroe Township, NJ, for about nine years.

Like other grammatical constructions, adequate comma placement is important because it reflects your writing ability and communication skills, which will impact your credibility with an audience. Without the necessary pauses, your message can become skewed, leading some readers to become frustrated and lose faith or interest in your message. There are many other comma usage rules not mentioned here; however, the ones above are the most common and will ensure accuracy of comma placement in all forms of writing.