How I Got Started Writing

by Colleen Foye Bollen

My background is atypical for a writer. I did not write for school newspapers nor plan a career that had anything to do with writing. Growing up, I never thought of writing as a career option. My only goal was to be a teacher.

Nevertheless, while studying for my degree and later teaching, I unknowingly prepared myself for my future writing career. First, I did extensive journaling; every day I typed pages of journal entries. If I was traveling, I took my electric typewriter along with me. When camping, I switched to a notepad. Writing was my way of processing the day. Without it, my day felt incomplete.

Second, because I was extremely shy, I spent many hours at parties and other social events sitting in a corner watching everything. On a subconscious level, this helped me develop the observation skills I now use in my writing.

My life as a professional writer began at age thirty-seven. I was staying home with my two young sons, ages five and two, when I spotted a small ad for a women’s writing group welcoming moms and their kids to their monthly meetings. I had previously written short stories, solely for my own enjoyment, and thought this group would give me the incentive to pursue that kind of writing. The meetings sounded low-key and non-intimidating, so I decided to attend the next meeting. I showed up late, unshowered, and disorganized.

The meeting turned out to be a group of professional women writers with fax machines, editors, and deadlines. They not only took care of their daily grooming needs, they were organized enough to research and write articles on deadline, with children underfoot. Within moments I knew they had a lot to teach me, if only time management skills.

After attending meetings for three months, I felt the need for action. I was listening in on their writing adventures, but not writing a word myself. Without much thought to the outcome, I gave myself a deadline; before the next meeting, I had to contact an editor and at least try to write and publish an article.

Afraid of writing a query, I began my writing career by breaking the cardinal rule of writing: I called an editor - something all writers know is a no-no. I called the managing editor of Northwest Baby & Child, a free monthly publication put out by Baby Diaper Service. Experts tell novices to start submitting to a publication they know, and I knew this publication well. Every month I read it cover-to-cover.

Talking with the managing editor, I asked what topics she would be covering in the coming months. She mentioned nutrition and I knew that was for me; I wanted to write about my son, the picky eater. I got an okay to write an article on speculation (I would write the article, then she would decide if she wanted to buy it.)

Using my trusty electric typewriter, I wrote a rough draft at my dining room table. Although we had a computer in the house, I had never touched it; and I knew I couldn't learn to write and use a computer simultaneously. With a pair of scissors and a glue stick, I cut-and-pasted my second version together. This went on for several drafts, until I felt satisfied. Then I took it to a typist, who typed up my final draft.

The day my article was due I drove my 350-word manuscript down to the editor’s office. Sitting at a large table, working on that month’s ad layout, she set my article aside and continued her work. Expecting an immediate response, I had to exercise maximum self-control and clamp my mouth shut to keep from screaming, “Look at it!” Somehow I managed to exit without making a scene.

Weeks later, I received a letter saying my article’s publication date would be March 1989. An exciting moment, but nothing when compared to the day I held my published article. I was so thrilled I danced around the yard like an idiot. Not only did I get my first byline, I got a free month of diaper service as payment. I quickly learned bylines are addictive; the more I get, the more I want. Since that day in 1989, I have published hundreds of articles in national and regional publications and one how-to writing book, Shorts: A Gateway Into New Markets.

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