July juxtaposition: You call this freedom?
July juxtaposition: You call this freedom?
The Summer of 2022 continued with a major slap in the face to every woman in America when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled to overturn the federal right to abortion. Nita and I are livid. I pray Ohio’s ‘Heartbeat Law’ is somehow deemed unconstitutional so women in our state can once again access the medical treatment they seek.
The numbers are on our side. We dissent.
On a lighter note, I’d like to share a glimpse into some of my recent writing successes.
I have been a freelance writer for over 40 years. As a freshman at the University of Cincinnati in 1981, I had no idea I could write. But I soon realized how enjoyable it was to research and write term papers and other assignments.
As a freshman, I joined the staff of The News Record, UC’s newspaper. Suddenly, I was interviewing people, asking questions to glean more information about the topic at hand, and writing article after article. I cried happy tears seeing my name in print. I did then and I still do now.
I have no idea how many articles I have written in those four decades, easily over 500, if not 1,000. One reason I honestly don’t know is that I’ve had several laptops and computers in that time, and not everything transferred each time I uploaded old data into new machines. Such is life. Also, some online publications don’t carry every article they have published, or perhaps rid their archives of content after time has passed. Therefore, I really have no way of knowing the actual number.
I’m grateful that 2022 has been wonderfully busy.
I have only written “on assignment.” That means I write articles based on a story idea and subsequent contract. The article suggestion is either one I made to an editor or one the editor offered to me. I receive a contract and write the piece.
I do not write “on spec.” Short for “on speculation,” writing on spec means I write the article, then shop it to several publications in the hopes one will buy and publish it. While that approach works for others, I simply don’t have the time to market my articles in the hopes of selling them after I write them. I strike the deal first, then write.
I am beyond proud to share one of my recent bylines in one of my favorite publications to write for, Cannabis & Tech Today. My editor there is pleasant, patient and honest, a joy to write for.
The article stems from my personal life experience. I possess an Ohio medical marijuana license for the pain and discomfort I endure due to arthritis. The idea for this article stems from my own difficulties opening certain types of packaging. Could it be that cannabis wrapping is ageist as it attempts to be child-proof?
You can find the article here.
