Dramatic Sales Writing

I don't know why I didn't consider becoming a
copywriter before now.

I've been an avid reader since first grade. I
was one of those kids who made myself near-sighted
by always having my nose stuck in a book. In
the summer of my third grade, I won an award at
the local library for reading the most books of
any other kid.

I recall going to a rummage sale at church,
seeing two Oz books for sale, and bursting into
unconsolable tears when somebody else bought
them. My mother stuck me out in the car to cry,
then found the buyer and bought them for me.

I decided to become a writer when I grew up
when I was 9 years old. I even started writing
a novel -- a very Edgar Rice Burroughs influenced
story about a guy and a woman living in a big
tree.

I started writing more seriously when I was 16.
I actually finished some stories, typed them up
in the professional format I learned from THE
WRITER and sent them to editors, who of course
sent them right back with rejection letters on
them.

In the meantime, I was editor of my high school
newspaper, THE REDBIRD WORD (writing a few
controversial articles) and also wrote and
published articles and stories in science
fiction fanzines.

I finally sold two stories to Ted White, one
published in FANTASTIC and one in AMAZING. And
later one to THE TWILIGHT ZONE.

Unfortunately, that's pretty much the end of my
fiction writing, in professional magazines. I
did publish more stories in semi-prozines. I also
had fun submitting my pro stories to foreign
magazines, and have had them translated into
various languages I cannot read.

Oh, I wrote and submitted novels, but never got
anywhere. I still have one horror novel that I
think could still be popular. It's a great story,
and I even hired Dave King (co-author of
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers) one of the first
book doctors to edit it. He liked it, but I
couldn't interest an agent or editor. But I
still like it too and plan to get it out there
one of these days, when I have more time.