Garry Cox, On Experience Leading to Writing Later In Life

by Garry Cox

As an educator, poet and runner I am a lifer. I have the blessed opportunity to create new works and compete in my sport (Track & Field). I have qualified for The National Senior games to be held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in May 10-23, 2022. I will compete in the age group 74-79. My events are the 50 meter and 100 meter dash.

Brief History

I have been blogging and writing poetry since I retired from Rio Salado College in 2008. When I retired I was the director of a large adult Learning Center that served the basic educational needs of adult students either in need of academic advancement or learning English as a second language. At the heart of my approach to working with students was to build their confidence by putting them on a clear path to realizing their innate abilities to learn and to be productive in our society. I often thought of myself as simply a glorified cheerleader for the dreams and aspirations of my students. I loved my work and even today, I can’t stop being a cheerleader.

A prime example would be one of my many blog series, New Poets Wednesday. New Poets Wednesday is simply an additional venue with social medium support for any would-be poet to showcase their work, simply by emailing me a poem. In truth the New part of the equations simply means persons who have written poetry that has yet to be published. Some of our poets have had commercial success as writers but are just now giving poetry a try.

Core beliefs

I believe writing is precursor to thought, not the other way around. The feeling part of life always precedes our efforts to explain it. So you write about feelings and see where that takes you.

Poetry is an invitation to advance our thinking and deepen our feelings about the world we live in. It is a sharing of truths, your truth, my truth, the truth of our human experience. A good poem will celebrate these truths with a style and grace that exists in every tongue spoken on our planet.

Advice to new writers

I believe success in all creative writing can be expressed in three simple terms.

Write every day

I got this from one of my college writing teachers. “A writer is someone who writes.” When I asked him to explain he said, “When you write, you’re a writer. When you don’t write, you’re not a writer.” So write everyday

Find your voice

While it is chronologically true that I found my voice very late in life, I think a deeper truth is that voice comes only after dealing with important events in your life. I found my voice through my first blog series, Garry and Bernice. Bernice was my life partner for 19 years before she passed in 2011. I created the blog to honor her memory and to honor the life we had together. Because of her importance to me, I was very diligent in creating a lasting image of who this woman was, to me and to the world.

I knew early on that I had struck on something vitally important to my creative soul. I started to realize my growth when one of Bernice’s daughters, having followed the series in my website, “I appreciate seeing my mother in a whole new light.” As the series developed, I realized that I had fallen into a certain rhythm, a certain consistency. It may have been obvious that I was stretching the limits of my personal memories, but it was also true that in that stretching I had found my voice. That unique style that is recognizable in everything I write.

Find your audience

As the Bard of all Bards, Will Shakespeare might say “ay there's the rub”.

And by that I mean, the ultimate challenge.

To see more of my work including popular blog series What I Did on My Covid-19 Vacation, New Poets Wednesday and the Bernice and Garry series go to my website www.garrycox.com

The Broke College Student's Guide to Freelance Writing

by Dean Burgess

According to a recent study, most college students have less than $500 in their bank accounts. Being a broke college student may be a romantic notion to some, but when you've been eating ramen noodles for a week, it doesn't seem that fun. If you are ready to become a bit less broke, consider freelance writing as a side gig you can do while you are in school that could also be a career after you graduate.

Start Your Business

You can just start writing whenever you are ready and operate as a sole proprietor. Freelance writing isn't a high-risk profession. However, it isn't completely without risks. This type of freelance work involves contracts, and it sometimes involves publishing opinions about people or businesses. If you breach a contract or get sued for libel while you are operating as a sole proprietorship, your personal assets could be at risk. Operating your business as a limited liability company provides you with protection for your personal assets.

LLCs also enjoy tax benefits, don't require as much paperwork, and are more flexible than some other business structures. Regulations for establishing an LLC vary by state, so you need to check the rules for Ohio LLCs before you get started. Alternatively, you can work with an attorney or use a formation service to avoid the potentially expensive legal fees.

Level Up Your Writing Skills

You don't have to be an English or journalism major to be successful as a freelance writer. However, you do need solid writing skills. You are already in college, so consider enrolling in one or more courses in English, literature, creative writing, technical writing, new media, or journalism. If you have already maxed out your credit hours, consider an online writing course. There are many options that you can complete at your own pace, so you won't have to worry about conflicts with your class schedule.

Create Some Samples

Most potential clients want to see examples of your work before they consider hiring you. Decide what type of writing you want to do and what topic you want to focus on. Write some samples that reflect your ability to do that type of writing and your knowledge and unique perspective on the subject. Once you have your samples written, upload them to a free site, such as WordPress or Medium, start a blog or look for an opportunity, such as the student newspaper, to publish your work on campus.

Find Your First Gig

If you have a favorite blog or magazine related to your niche, check to see if they accept submissions or are looking for writers. You can also find jobs on freelance writing boards and freelance job boards.

Get Clients to Come to You

Cold pitching clients can land you some gigs, but once you start getting your work out there, you can increase your income by getting clients to come to you. Start by creating a professional website on your own domain and link to your work samples. Advertise your work on social media. Look for an opportunity to be a guest writer on a popular blog or website that will allow you to promote your writing.

If you like to write, freelance writing can be a great way to earn some extra money while you are in school, and it can launch a rewarding career after you graduate. All you need to get started is a few good ideas and the willingness to put in the effort. Check out Mindy McGinnis’ blog and website for more writing resources!

Dean Burgess started Excitepreneur to explore the areas of entrepreneurship that are often overlooked, and share with current and aspiring entrepreneurs the stories and lessons he has learned. He fully believes entrepreneurs will lead us to a more exciting future. All it takes is an idea or goal and a desire to see it to fruition.

What Writing Rom-Coms Taught Me About Myself

by Kosoko Jackson

Hi there! My name’s Kosoko Jackson and by the time you’re reading this, my debut rom-com, II’m So (Not) Over You , will be out (and maybe be in your hands, on your bookshelf or on the way to you…no pressure, of course).

I’m So (Not) Over You is a fake dating, second chances romance starring Kian Andrews, who gets the chance to obtain his dream job, if he’ll pretend to still be madly in love with his ex-boyfriend, Hudson Rivers, and help sell the lie to Hudson’s very wealthy and powerful family. But, of course, the lie gets out of hand and both find themselves spending a whole weekend together, and discovering maybe their feelings aren’t as dead as they thought.

If you had come from the future and told me five years ago that I would be writing a romantic comedy, I probably would have laughed at you. I never saw myself as a rom-com author, I thought that my space was in young adult fiction. So, three years ago, When I decided to embark on this journey, I had no idea where it would end up. But since starting, I think I've learned 3 key things about myself.

ONE: NEVER COUNT YOURSELF OUT.

Like I said above, I never saw myself as a rom-com author. I thought that my space was only in young adult fiction because that was what I had told myself. There's an expression from a TV show, I can't remember which one, that I carry with me every day. Don't let a promise that you made to yourself 10 years ago dictate your choices now. When I was younger, and I knew I wanted to be an author, I knew I wanted to be a young adult author. But that was something that I came up with when I was in my teens, that was roughly 15 years ago now. I've changed, I've evolved, I've grown, and the stories that I wanted to write when I was 15, are not the only stories I want to write now. I owe it to myself, and so do you, to not let that limit you.

TWO: WRITING SHOULD BE FUN; REMEMBER THAT.

I think sometimes, especially if you’re a writer, or any creative person, we get caught up in doing what is successful, what (we think) is going to make the New York Times list, or what is going to etch our name in history. We forget, sometimes, why we started writing, what made us want to be a creative person. I know I did. I started writing young adult books because I wanted to see authentic representation of queer Black teens. I wrote rom-coms, or had the idea to, because I wanted to see stories where people who look like me, get happy endings. What happens with this book–be it a NYT bestseller, or a flop, shouldn’t matter, because I set out to do something and I accomplished it. And most importantly, I had fun doing it. The glitz and the glam is nice, but proving to yourself, and putting your heart and soul into something? That should be enough. That is enough.

THREE: CAREERS, AND LIFE, ARE LONG.

If you notice a pattern here, it's that I did a lot of self-discovery while writing this rom-com. I pushed myself, I discovered what I enjoy and what I didn’t, and I honed myself as an artist. I’m so, so proud of that. There are so many books–especially rom-coms–I want to write. And in coming out with those ideas, in finding my path, I’ve always thought, “oh, is there enough time for me to do all these things? I have to get it perfectly right this time because I won’t have another chance”. And while it is true that the arts are cut-throat, and it's not a meritocracy, what is also true is that no artist will ever put out all the work they want. There is never enough time, and all we can do is create what makes us happy, and hope that’s enough. For some, that might be morbid. For me, it helps me put into perspective each book, each short story, each article I write, is a piece of myself I’m sharing with the world; and that’s enough.

I’m So (Not) Over You is my first rom-com. It won’t be my last. But it is the one that I’m most proud of. The book is funny, earnest, honest, real and vulnerable. It is a piece of me that I’m sharing with you. I hope, if this book touches you in any way, you feel comfortable and are willing to share that with me. I promise, I’ll listen with open arms.

Born and raised in the DC Metro Area, Kosoko Jackson has worked in digital communications for the past five years. He is currently an MFA candidate at Southern New Hampshire’s Mountainview MFA program. Yesterday is History is his debut novel. Visit him at Kosokojackson.com or @kosokojackson on Twitter or Instagram.