Writing My Life
I think I was born a writer.
I think I was born a writer because it seems as if it’s always been easy for me, like a fish to water. However, you know the adage that “readers make better writers?” I love reading books, and I began reading books on my own accord fairly early, around 7 or 8 years old. What I mean by that is, my Mother didn't "make me" read, like so many parents do today. I just . . . did. My daughter is also growing up reading on her own, and she has equally shown a natural proclivity to writing, punctuation notwithstanding.
After high school graduation, I chose to major in Journalism with a public relations emphasis - and I stuck to it, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism in less than 4 years. For half of my college career, I was a teacher's assistant for one of my journalism professors, grading papers for him because he was that confident in my editing skills. I was also an associate editor, and then editor, of the university newspaper, and did two summer internships with a small government and public relations firm.
Upon graduation, I began my career as a "beat" reporter for the Waco Tribune-Herald. Before too long, the PR firm at which I did my internship lost an account manager, and they offered me the job. I spent two years with that small agency, writing and designing newsletters, newspaper ads, logos, reports, and more for small East Texas businesses. Then in 1997, we moved to the Dallas area and I landed an account executive role for a startup internet marketing agency. I've been in digital marketing ever since.
But one thing has proved invaluable no matter what type of marketing or advertising project I complete - and that has been my ability to write and edit.
So while I have a formal education in journalism, worked for a few years in newspaper and public relations, since coming into digital marketing I haven't held roles focused solely on content. While it has always played a critical role in all of my marketing programs, I've never held the specific title of "writer" at any organization. But had I not had the skills, I don't think I would've been as successful a marketer.
Since more content projects is one of my goals for new clientele, I decided to document my journey from journalist to digital marketer to illustrate not just my skills, but also my experience, resourcefulness, and how I arrived at digital marketing. There’s no other place to start but the beginning.
Read my full mini autobiography that details how I discovered I'm a writer, and my journey from reporter to digital marketer.
