My Literary Life

CREATIVE WRITING
Copyright Phillip Martin Clip Art
http://www.phillipmartin.info/

I love to write about things. I like writing prose. I like to write poetry. I like creating fiction. I like composing nonfiction (usually tutorials or instructions). I take notes (and I lose them or throw them away). I write in my Bible. I write songs (both lyrics and basic musical arrangements). I simply love to write.

I will handwrite things if I have to, but I have preferred keyboarding since about age 12, when my father rescued a damaged manual Royal typewriter from the dump one year. He quickly replaced the broken key, and gave the large, clunky typewriter to my mom, for her own bookkeeping and writing needs.

I immediately asked my mom to teach me to type. She gave me the basics and I began to practice. By the time I entered high school, I was already an accomplished typist, so I breezed through two years of typing class with top grades. When I was a freshman, we had Smith Corona electrics, and by the time I was a sophomore, we had IBM Selectrics…WOW!!!

In later years, through the many secretarial and bookkeeping jobs I held down, I graduated to elementary computer keyboard typing for input into large corporate computers for things like invoices and other data-keeping. In 1990, I was given a used Apple IIe computer that changed my life. On that computer, I began to write one of the articles I’ll share with you here: “Alaska–All the Colors of White.”

I also began working as a specialized ad person at the local newspaper, writing a weekly (paid ad) column for new businesses in the area. That involved going out to the businesses and interviewing the owners and/or managers, taking a couple of photos, then writing up the interviews for the column. When I wasn’t doing that, I worked with the other telephone people, taking want-ads over the phone or at the counter, typing out the ads, and helping in the display ad department when necessary. It was invaluable experience.

A year or so later, while working as a secretary at a job where I was using a Mac Plus, I took a college course in writing, editing, and desktop publishing, at the community college in Porterville, CA. I rewrote the Alaska article the first time, as my final project, in order to pass the course (with flying colors).

In 1991, I started the course offered by The Institute of Children’s Literature. While still involved in that class (which was considered a two-year-course), we moved from California to Aberdeen, Washington, in 1992. I completed the course in just over a year, adding more college credits to my writing skills. Once again, I rewrote the Alaska article as my final project (in a slightly different manner from what I’m presenting here, as it was engineered for children).

After our move, I went to work for the First Presbyterian Church of Hoquiam [Washington], as the church secretary. Shortly after that, I purchased my very first Macintosh desktop computer. In 2000, I moved from Mac to my first Windows machine, just as Microsoft was changing to the infamous Windows ME. I only made that decision because I couldn’t afford to keep upgrading to newer Macs. After that, I not only upgraded my Windows PCs as soon as possible when new systems came out, I also learned to build them, but that’s another story.

While still working at the church, I was encouraged to write a special Christmas article for the local newspaper (The Daily World), and I did. In November 2018, I wrote to the newspaper editor, who found the article, and sent me a digital copy of it by e-mail. I’ve now re-published it here, as a Devotional article in my non-fiction section of the Writing menu.

I’ve continued to write over the years, mostly by creating/publishing websites and working with other people on forums for specialized (gaming) topics. I also helped set up several non-profit websites for churches in Aberdeen and Hoquiam, while we lived over there.

Since moving to NE South Dakota in 2009, I hadn’t written a whole lot, but I had continued to run my gaming website, which I finally discontinued at the end of November 2019. Since September of 2019, I’ve written quite a few things for THIS website. It has given me another place to spend my time enmeshed in words and phrases…one of my main loves in life.

I’m very excited to have this new avenue where I can self-publish some of the things I’ve written over the years (which will include, at some point, some of the projects written during my Children’s Literature studies). One of my former works I have already shared here, is my story of the 1964 Alaska Earthquake. I’ve published some poetry, too, as well as two other devotionals, and a prophetic dream that I had back in 2000 (check out THIS SECTION of the website, to read those). [EDIT 01/14/21…since writing this page, I’ve documented more dreams and visions, and that list will continue to grow.]

I hope you’ll follow along. Comment forms are available on any articles/stories I have posted.

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