Writers Tricks of the Trade ISSUE 1, VOLUME 9 | Page 6

M ORGAN ’ S C ORNER M ORGAN S T . J AMES , E DITOR I was the speaker for a meeting of the Stirling Club Marketing Networking Group here in Las Vegas on March 20. They are a wonderful group of energetic, savvy people from many business types. My topic was “My Journey to Becoming a Writer.” I knew I had to start at the beginning, be- cause the wonderful gifts of positive thinking and attitude combined with belief in myself and my abilities are the gift given to me by my mother Rosetta. They carved the path I traveled in life. So, Morgan’s Corner is different in this issue than my normal format. I t wasn’t easy for me to find my passion, because I was fortunate enough to pos- sess the ability to do lots of things well. F INDING M Y P ASSION I spent my twenties as a secretary, ad- ministrative assistant and office manager. Things I was good at, but it was a 9 to 5 job, not a passion. However I did work in a vari- ety of companies including a theatrical business manager in Beverly Hills, four large aerospace industry companies where I got Secret clearances, and a law firm that could have been the model for the old TV show LA Law. I also worked for the former Executive Director of Century City, Califor- nia—the man who negotiated the deal to buy the land from Twentieth Century Fox. That isn’t everything, but when I write I’m able to draw first-hand information and knowledge from many business experienc- es. When I was thirty-one, my then- husband was a wholesale furniture manu- facturer’s representative and I discovered interior design. I was good at it and before I knew it I was asked to help people with their interiors. My sister-in-law, Carol S PRING 2019 LeVeque, was an interior designer and we decided to open a design studio together, ironically in Studio City California. Although I’d had no formal training in interior design, I have always wanted to do the best job in whatever I do, so I decided to take classes at UCLA to learn the craft. But I was a mom with three children, a full-time partner in a design studio, and go- ing to school at night to study interior de- sign. I later took a residential marketing course and became certified as a Member of the Institute of Residential Marketing. It was a tough grind and I never finished my degree in design, but I’d found my first pas- sion. Little did I know that another passion would soon present itself. I’ M AN A CCIDENTAL W RITER The final requirement in my Residen- tial Marketing course was to write an arti- cle pertaining to the field. Not only did I re- ceive a top grade, but my article was chosen for publication in the Quarterly Magazine for the Institute of Residential Marketing. My first publication. Our design studio had snagged projects for some sports celebrities and people in P AGE 1 W RITERS ’ T RICKS OF THE T RADE