I built my copywriting career one word at a time.
After earning a degree in music, I enrolled in AmeriCorps and joined a team of middle school educators. As the writer in the group, I led creative writing workshops on short stories and poems, and the kids loved it!
So when I heard that bestselling author and City Year board member Ben Sherwood was coming to talk to us about his latest book, The Survivors Club, I was excited. The entire corps of nearly 200 volunteers sat in the audience as Ben Sherwood talked about the bestselling book. It explored how people survive traumas like cancer, bankruptcy, divorce, and extreme situations like bear attacks and plane crashes. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it.
I was enthralled. And when he finished the talk, I knew that I had to learn more. So I found his contact information and reached out. He told me about how he was creating a website to supplement the book. I persuaded him to hire me as an editorial intern. Within three weeks, I became a staff writer. This was the first time in my life I was being paid to write. It was a major accomplishment for me. I was on my writing journey. But what good is a journey if there aren’t a few obstacles along the way?
Ben Sherwood was hired for a job at ABC News and had to shut down the website. I moved to New York City. Jobs opportunities were still scarce, but I found work writing blogs and editing product descriptions for an on-demand video provider.
Two summers later, I took a commission job but struggled to make ends meet.
I needed a change desperately. But I didn’t know what to do. So, I did what came naturally to me. I wrote, journaling until I came to an answer. I dug deep into myself to find what I wanted to do next. I asked myself questions. I read books. I took self-development classes. I kept going until an answer came to me. And when it did, the answer was as clear as day. I was a writer.
I had gained valuable writing skills working under Ben Sherwood. I could write headlines. I could create emotionally-engaging content. I studied more and practiced more, learning the ins and outs of marketing. Then I quit my commission job and declared myself a copywriter.
Within a week, clients wanted me to write their websites and emails. Soon I was doing better than I ever had in my life – and I was doing what I loved. Writing.
Today, I am a senior copywriter at a Fortune 10 health care company. I am also a published author with a novel in the works.
Writing is more than a job. It’s more than the ink markings or pixels on a screen. It’s a story, a journey that I build one character at a time to drive people to action, so my clients’ businesses succeed and grow.
