I had a terrible high school education. Despite getting straight A’s at an award-winning high school in a wealthy suburb of Washington D.C., my classes weren’t rigorous and I didn’t develop a lot of basic skills. The school was large and there was a lot of cheating. I was well-behaved. I turned in all of my homework and spent most of my energy trying to blend into the background, like a gecko. I was very adept at it and so, without anyone noticing my lack of skill, I graduated in 1993 at the top of my class having never written a paper longer than a single page.
Throughout my childhood my mother was a freelance writer and reporter for the Washington Post and our local paper. She worked from home while we were at school. Seeing her byline in the paper made me proud and hearing her describe with incredible passion the stories she was working on was intriguing, but I never aspired to be a writer. I had no idea how to structure a story or write a lead, and no desire to figure it out.
Freshman at Johns Hopkins were required to take Practical Composition and in my first week on campus I was assigned to write a three page essay on a piece of writing by Thoreau. In a panic I walked down the hall and knocked on the door of a guy named Justin whom I’d heard was writing a sports column for the college paper. “You must know how to write,” I said. “Can you help me?” He was kind enough to look over my drafts and then became my boyfriend for the next three years.
This crisis of confidence aside, I think I’ve always been a writer. Junior year I wrote two articles for the college paper (and not just because my boyfriend had become editor-in-chief). One piece was about a student who’d had a baby the summer before college began and was living in the dorms as single mom. The other was about the two women enrolled in the otherwise all-male army ROTC program on campus. I was interested in the idea of fair access.
After college I enrolled in Teach For America and moved to a town of 2,200 nestled in the middle of industrial cotton fields where the poverty of my students was extreme and the racism around me overt and equally extreme. I was writing articles for our monthly newsletter, The Delta Dirt, about policy changes I felt Teach For America needed to make. I don’t remember exactly what those policy changes were, but I know that my pieces caused enough of a stir that someone from the national organization in New York felt the need to to call me to talk them over.
And then we all got the internet. A blog is a wonderful place to write. With total freedom to explore what I think is interesting and important, this space has given me a decade worth of practice expressing what I know, a place to seek what I wanted to I find out, and an audience interested in reading what I have to say (at least sometimes). The blog is my tiny media outlet and it’s a fantastic thing to have.
Last week I went out for coffee with the editor of Artist and Maker’s magazine, an Interweave publication with offices here in the Boston area. We talked about Etsy and Aurifil and how much fabric designers earn and halfway through our conversation she said to me, “You’re such a good writer, Abby.”
Although I never expected to say so, I am a writer. And I’m so happy about that. I have a writer life on top of, or maybe next to, a designer life.
Writing as a career is something I don’t know much about. To help me figure it out, I’ve now listened to every episode of the Longform podcast where writers explain how they find sources and pitch stories. That’s been a good beginning. And now, when I see something that should be a story, I think about it in a new way. Where should this story live? Where would it find the right readers?
I’m currently working on or have written articles over the past few months for Generation Q, the Studio Art Quilts Associates print journal, Crafter’s Market, the Spoonflower blog, FabShop Network’s print journal, and Artists and Makers magazine. I have five freelance articles due by the end of May. I pitched one of these, and the others came to me because of my writing here.
None of these gigs pays a ton. Magazine work in crafts pays about the same, whether it’s an article you’re writing or a pattern you’re designing. One thing I’ve discovered is that when you’re working for an established publication people take your calls which is amazing. When you’re calling as a reporter for Gen Q it’s totally different than calling as a person who writes a blog.
I’m building a portfolio of published writing, one that lives outside of my blog. In the process I’m proving to myself that I can do this. I can be a designer and a teacher and a writer. I even put it on my business card.
Hello Abby,
I’m following your blog for a time. This is one of the most interesting blogs I follow and I hope you will continue for ever with it! You always do have interesting articles. You are an excellent writer, observator, and researcher. The mix is just wonderful!! Happy that I can follow you!
I hope this isn’t too nosy, but did you go to school in Fairfax County? If so, me too. Graduated from LBSS. 🙂
Not too nosy! I grew up in Potomac and went to Churchill. My senior year a friend and I made a little video just to point out how poor the education was in this elite community. We stood by the front doors one morning and asked each student as they entered school, “Who was Winston Churchill?” Given that he was the school’s namesake you’d think they might know. Most common response? “He was president of the United States!”
Wow, Abby — it’s hard to imagine that you had such a small amount of writing experience through highschool. I’ve also had moments of realization that I’ve always been a crafty person (despite a long hiatus between the ages of 15 and 25) and I’ve always loved publishing (I edit, typeset and occasionally write — the yearbook committee is always an early indicator). For me, your blog is a beacon that proves that makers can be critical thinkers who can communicate meaningfully for change. Thanks for discovering your inner writer!
There have been a few times over the past two or three years in which a post I’ve written here has actually had an impact on the industry as a whole and those are truly my proudest moments, even when they came at the cost of making people angry. Sometimes after a post like one of those it’s really hard to keep blogging because the next post seems rather blah, but I know from experience that it’s only through continually writing that the best stories come.
Yes, you are a thoughtful, engaging writer, which is one reason why I ALWAYS read your newsletter!
Thank you for reading my newsletter, Sharon!
It’s really funny — I had a similar high school experience! When I first arrived at college I had no idea what to do to write a paper and had to go to the writing center to get advice. And just look at us now. 🙂
You ARE a writer ! A fabulous, interesting, provocative, informative, trustworthy writer! I come back to your blog over and over again to read and retread some of your articles. When I need advice on an issue or am looking for a suggestion I find myself searching your blog first….sometimes even before google, because I know I can get accurate, unbiased, non-promotional information. I stumbled upon your blog a few years ago and have come to look forward to your posts! Thank you for all your hard work and time! Your generosity with the information you have acquired over the years is really appreciated. You inspire me! I so respect your work and your opinion. One day I saw you pinned something from one of my boards (not something I made but something I liked) and I was a bit giddy because we had the same taste. I rarely post on blogs but just wanted to say thank you for writing! Keep up the good work! Xo
Courtney,
Wow and yay! Thank you so much for this. It really means a lot to me to know that the work I do here is meaningful to other people and is useful to them in their own endeavors. That’s just the best feeling. Thank you.
Okay, that makes me feel so much better, Grace. I identify you as a real writer! If you didn’t know how to write entering college then I might be okay. I feel like there’s a fair number of journalists who knew they wanted to be writers when they were five and have just relentlessly pursued that career since. I don’t fall into that camp for sure!
I’m a mother and grandmother that loves sewing and creating. Your blog is so informative and you are a wonderful writer. I just want to encourage you to follow your heart and keep up the good work. You go, girl!
Thank you so much for your support, Paula!
Good on you!! Own it.
I too am a mother and grandmother who loves sewing, craft, stitching. However, I am also interested in the world surrounding what I do. I find that your writing is so informative and well written, well researched, balanced and honest. I check every day to see what you have on your blog and ofcourse get and read your newsletter. I like that you explore issues in the world of sewing and craft I would never know about otherwise. So good to see you own what you are and do and to hear of your journey too.
I won the poetry contest in my junior English class for a poem I wrote about being happy to spend Valentine’s day by myself with a box of chocolates…ah, memory lane…
I don’t call myself a writer, but it’s always been a strength of mine. Right now, in addition to the part time teaching and freelancing I do as a musician, I also moonlight as a copyeditor for graduate students at the music school here. All of my business in that area is from word of mouth, from the very kind professors who know I can proofread and help students, especially non-native English speakers (in music, there are many!) with their term papers and dissertation projects.
Anyway, way to go, putting that on your business card! Your blog and website have inspired me to update my own professional website, which at the moment is rather skeletal. I’ve even pondered starting a newsletter but I’m not sure if I could come up with enough to say on a weekly or biweekly basis!
You are a very good writer! Glad to see you are sharing your talents beyond your blog.
Dear Abby,
Just a happy Nonna of 7, who has enjoyed your writing for years. Back in the days when While She Naps meant just that! Your writing is what keeps me a loyal reader, Abby. All my grands are now past the softie stage , which is what brought me here initially, but I stay on for the writing and your wonderful podcasts. Brava You!
Cynthia
ps of course the lovey pattern gets a great workout for my friends grands.
Thank you so much, Cynthia!
Amy, I just found your blog and podcast and find myself seeking both out. You have a different and interesting perspective. I was raised in Mryland, in a rural, less affluent place than the DC burbs and I’m a bit older than you. My first year at college was at my local state college and my composition 101 teacher was the father one of my best friends. I got a C. I was mortified, but he was keenly aware of the deficit in the local public school system and eventually I became an English major and he became my advisor. We can overcome deficits. I’ve watched my daughter overcome a K-4th grade deficit due to both poor teaching and severe ADHD to become a amazing student. I do wonder what could have happened if both of us had had better situations.
I am so so glad that you’re accepting this very true thing: You ARE a writer. You write, thus, you are a writer.
And a damn fine one. Thanks for writing things I love to read!
You are a fantastic writer and your blog is truly one of the smartest, most thoughtful places in the maker blogosphere. I’m a relatively recent reader of your blog (I’ve been visiting for about six months) and I have come to really look forward to your newsletter and your posts, because I know that your writing will always enlighten and inspire. Thank you so much for all that you do here! I love your investigative pieces in particular; they are really well-done and I always leave this blog having learned something new.
I always learn something new from your writing be it newsletter or blog. I am so glad you put all those passions on your business cards. People often see us the way we define ourselves so it’s important to claim all the ground. I just retired after spending the last 12 yrs of my career editing and writing. I never planned to be there but in corporate America today you have to be agile and unearth those strengths. thanks again for keeping us informed.
Knowing you IRL makes the fact that you had a less than stellar high school education very surprising. I loved reading this, and everything else that you write.
I just discovered you site and enjoy reading it.
Hi Abby,
I just started subscribing yout newsletter and your works are inspirational. I’m from Myanmar, half way across the globe and found our your blog as I was looking for soft toy design and manufacturing ideas. I didn’t know where to start but I find your blog as a light at the end of the dark tunnel.
How cool! One of the things I’ve loved about having a blog all these years is connecting with people who live far away from me and share similar interests. I’m so glad you said hello Kham!