How a Tragic Car Accident Made Writing the Cornerstone of My Career

(TLDR: Do the things you love and the things you dream of now. Don’t put them off.)

I was recently asked about the path I took to turn writing into a career. Talking about it makes me feel physically sick, so I decided to write about it instead.

Flashback to my undergrad at Penn State. I had to take an GenEd English class and wound up with a professor who was a classic hipster. He was also incredibly creative, and his writing was truly inspiring. I started the semester with meh grades. Midway through, I got into a groove and started to grow thanks to his feedback, and began to really enjoy our assignments. By the end of the semester I was totally into it, loving having the opportunity to write. I’d always enjoyed writing, even as a child, but for the first time I realized it brought me real joy.

When I went to pick up my final paper, my professor said, “Have you ever considered writing for a living?”

I had never even remotely considered turning writing into a job. I told him I’d considered submitting articles to magazines like Cosmo in the past, but that I’d chickened out and never mailed (yes, actual real mail, I’m that old) any pitches, and that writing for a living was a pipe dream since I had to support my daughter and myself on one income.