Deborah-Diane

Thank you for asking me to be one of your featured writers for 21cWoman.  I am delighted to be a part of this website.  I love the idea of being one of many women authors from different backgrounds and locations who are sharing our knowledge and experience. I was intrigued from the moment I heard about it.  I personally have enjoyed reading the articles the other women have written, and I look forward to continuing to contribute to 21cWoman in the future.

 

A bit about myself

I live in Southern California, near the charming little town of Laguna Beach.  I currently work as a Special Education Aide at a high school a few miles from my home.  Prior to working in education, I had a long career as a Realtor and a community volunteer.

I have always loved teaching and writing.  Even when I worked as a Realtor, I was often invited to serve on panels to teach new Realtors some of the skills they needed in order to succeed.  I also wrote a Real Estate Buyer’s Guide that became part of the materials given to all the new Realtors at the company where I worked.  Writing always seems to be an integral part of any job I take on.

 

I have been married for 40 years and have two grown daughters and two adult step-daughters.  My husband and I also have five grandchildren.  Although we both have busy careers, we also love spending time with our family.  Since we live only four miles from the ocean and only 20 minutes from Disneyland, we get a lot of visitors in the summer.

This past summer we had house guests non-stop for two straight months.  At one point, we had two daughters and four of our grandkids staying with us.  As you can see, it can be difficult sometimes to find time to write!

 

How did I get started writing?

I first became a published author in1989 when I wrote and sold a short story to Clubhouse Magazine for children.  The magazine used my story as their cover article that month.  It was the first time I was paid to write anything. Life got busy after that, however, while I was raising a family and working as a Realtor, so I put writing on the back burner.  Then, three years ago I discovered that I could write articles on the Internet, and I plunged right in.

 

Today, I have hundreds of articles on a variety of websites, including 21cWoman, InfoBarrel, Hubpages, and my own retirement blog at http://Baby-Boomer-Retirement.blogspot.com.  I write on many different topics for the various sites, and this seems to work well for me.  It gives me an opportunity to write on topics that interest me, and then submit them to the site that seems most appropriate for each article.

 

What Other Activities Occupy My Time?

Between my job, my writing and my family, it can be hard to find extra time to do anything else.  However, every week I manage to attend a yoga class, go walking on the beach with a group of friends, and go horseback riding.  In addition, I belong to a women’s book club and regularly attend Alanon meetings.

Alanon is for people who deal with alcoholism in a friend or relative.  I often write articles on this topic, as a way to help others who are dealing with some of these issues in their family.  It seems to be a very common problem.

 

What Other Topics Interest Me?

In addition to my articles about Alanon and alcoholism, I write articles on teens, parenting, real estate, education and activities for children.  I also wrote a series of articles on weddings.  Having raised four daughters, I learned a bit about weddings during the past decade!  Each time we take a trip, I write a travel article.

Many of my articles are based on actual experiences in my own life.  For example, if I am looking for a gift for a grandchild, there’s a good chance my research will become the basis of an article.  If I try a product I especially like, I will pass that information along to others.  If a teen at the high school where I work has a bad experience because of drugs or alcohol, I write about that topic.  Writing just seems to be a natural outlet for me.

 

What Are My Writing Goals?

The primary purpose for my writing is simply to teach.  I feel that writing gives me a wonderful opportunity to pass on information that I think will help others.  That is one reason I started http://Baby-Boomer-Retirement.blogspot.com.  I know from my contemporaries that many people in our age group are trying to retire, but lack the financial security and information they need to retire successfully.

As I do research for my own retirement planning, I discover facts that can be helpful to others. I plan to continue to share what I learn through my blog.  If I can simplify life for even one person, it is worth it.  I hope that visitors to my blog will leave helpful comments for their peers, as well. In addition, I plan to write future articles for 21cWoman that will relate to retirement, too.

 

Another goal I have when writing online is to earn passive income from the different websites.  In fact, the passive income I earn online is part of my personal retirement planning.  My earnings have doubled every year for the past three years that I have been writing online.  Although I still have a long way to go before this income will replace my day job, the earnings growth has been exciting.

 

Thanks, again, for giving me an opportunity to talk about myself and my experience as an online writer for 21cWoman.  I am thankful every day that I am able to write and work with great people like the ones who operate this site and the other women who write for it.