I have to thank a sewing machine. I have always loved to write, but had a lot of trouble finding a publisher to accept my stories. I tried every approach I could think of to break into the writing business until someone mentioned that I could become paid as a freelance writer. My first assignment: sewing machine reviews.

Although I knew nothing about sewing machines, I researched and reviewed my heart out. I wrote my first review like it was the consumer review version of Moby Dickit had drama, it had heartbreak, it was climactic. My employer liked my review so much that I was hired to review several different sewing machines in their line. Soon, it was game on. My assignments got longer and more varied until I had official credits to my name, as well as a few bucks and some much-needed confidence.

To make a long story short, my career continued to grow. I began to write freelance articles and short stories and eventually, I published my own novel (although it did not include a whale!). Whenever I feel that a little humble pie is in order, I think back to that first assignment I ever had as a writer: a sewing machine review.