Trying To Make A Good Life From Writing

  I was about 13 when I was first bitten with the writing-bug! Back then my stories were usually
wrapped up in sports, basketball in particular but I also began to write about paranormal things
as well. Of course, we didn't even know what the word ^paranormal^ meant at that time! I was
intrigued with the art of sitting down with a blank piece of paper and a pencil (later I got a typewriter) and writing down just exactly what my imagination would bring out. There were times when writing about basketball that I would mix some facts along with fiction and sort of add myself in there as a member of the team, whether it was the UK Wildcats or the Kentucky Colonels, it really didn't matter
much. I was having tons of fun writing anything and everything I could think of. Sadly. most of the
articles and stories I wrote at that time were lost or thrown away because at 13 I wasn't thinking about
preserving much of anything, including all the great sports cards I had, rookie cards especially. Jeez!

Throughout my tough teen years I still kept the writing going at a pretty regular pace. I did notice,
however, that some of the stories began taking a more paranormal stint than that of sports writing. I
wasn't sure why but I continued piling up the scary stories and mostly dealt with the haunted
mansion-type articles or stories on Bigfoot and the Lochness Monster. I had this strange affinity
for both of these cryptids. I'm not sure one can call the Lochness Monster a cryptid, though! All
of it was tremendous fun for me, just allowing my imagination to roam from here to there, up or
down, it really was a wide open canvas.

As I have aged, or maybe grown up would sound better, I fell in love with the art even more
intensely and that's where I am today, at 54, doing my best (?) to begin a rewarding career writing
for fun and for a living. I am not trying to just "get by", I want to have a successful career with
that which I love to do and , maybe, sometime in the near future, it will open up new opportunities
that I haven't even considered yet. God has blessed me so much and I am absolutely confident that
he will continue to bless as long as my priorities are correctly lined up and I give the glory to him.

Until next time, be blessed and less stressed, folks


jeff Pendleton
12/13/16