I’ve been a writer at heart since the age of 10. My love of writing led me to major in Journalism. After graduation, I worked in marketing and graphic design. I was happiest when I was writing, but the positions I held were not writing-focused. In order to break into the writing field, I decided I had to do something different.

I took an internship with a career web site and learned from A to Z, all that goes into writing and specifically, writing web content. It was such an eye-opening experience. Tracy, the web site editor, taught me everything she knew and my writing goals became clear. I found that I enjoyed writing light-hearted, informational career articles. After the internship ended, I began to work on a plan to write full-time.

I took a marketing job with an e-commerce site, which included writing their e-mail newsletter and marketing materials. This gave me even more writing experience. During my evenings, weekends and lunch breaks, I would send out queries and look for freelance work. There were times when queries wouldn’t get answered or they’d get rejected. It was very frustrating. However, over time, I developed a tough skin and learned not to take the rejection to heart.

Two years passed and my writing credits included MSN.com, Careerbuilder.com, Brilliantpeople.com and many more. It’s true that success builds on success! I decided to branch out my writing to include such topics as finances, parenting and family issues. In December 2001, I was able to put in my two weeks notice and work from home!

It is exhilarating to be my own boss and write full-time. I credit my supportive family, hard work and Angela’s Writers Weekly newsletter for helping me become the writer I am today!

Ohio-based freelance writer Diane Schmidt specializes in articles, e-mail newsletters, web site copy and more!