Exposure

I’ve always had a love affair with writing. When I was 8 years old, I used to dream up ridiculous ghost stories, which I put to paper at home on a typewriter. Yes, a typewriter. At school, I had the privilege of using a computer. Ya know, in the days when they were nothing more than an oversized box weighing approximately two tons, used primarily to play the Oregon Trail (a game you could never win because 9 times out of 10 you got dysentery or drowned.) In any event, I recall really enjoying my computer time and not having to white out my mistakes anymore. But speaking of mistakes- one day, whilst running down a school hallway lined with typing students, I tripped and pulled a plug right out of the wall. That plug was connected to a computer, and that computer belonged to a blonde upperclassman named Kevin. Apparently, in one fell swoop, I'd single-handedly made Kevin's entire paper disappear. I learned very quickly the importance of saving documents that day.

Fast forward to 4th grade, and I was selected to attend a creative writing camp. I don't remember what in the world I had to write about at that age, but as the years went on, I always enjoyed a therapeutic jot in a journal. I'd typically fill it with what were no doubt compelling stories of my latest date or crush. If a journal wasn't on hand, passing notes in the form of cleverly constructed poems to my friends was also a favorite past time of mine. Having done fairly well in my English courses in middle and high-school, I entered my freshman year at UCONN as a journalism major. I found my courses to be heavily news-centric, and at the time, I had more of a….”How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days” fantasy going on. It was then, with Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey in mind, that I decided to broaden my major and switched to English. Doing so allowed me to carry on with literature and writing in a way I found more enjoyable. I graduated with my degree, and writing took a backseat for a while. It wasn’t until I made the decision to move abroad, nearly 6 years later, that I thought to strike up a blog. Finally- interesting material to write about.

And so it began. I was in a new country and new thoughts, feelings, smells, and people were coming at me left, right, and center. I chronicled everything- from my travels to my every day life- which in Thailand, still proved to be entertaining. The feedback I received was humbling. I felt encouraged and motivated. Since arriving in Thailand I’ve carried on writing both personally and professionally. In a year and a half I’ve traveled all over Thailand. I’ve also visited Cambodia, Singapore, Indonesia, Italy, and Spain. My job has created opportunities that have allowed me to write about Thailand as well as the real estate market here. And it took 29 years, but in having these experiences, something that should have been fairly obvious all along became crystal clear- writing is my passion.

For anyone to read my words, I knew I'd need a successful platform on which to write and build up a portfolio. This is when I decided to apply to be a contributor to Elite Daily, a popular American online news platform. I pitched 5 article ideas, and overnight I was accepted. While the content may not always be full of journalistic merit and I'm certainly not getting paid, the site receives an impressive 70 MILLION unique views a month. Elite is also a place where I can write about the things I want to write about. Currently, these topics primarily revolve around traveling, living abroad, and dating. Few topics are off limits on Elite, and they range from current world events to what to wear to Coachella. To me, it’s a step towards getting noticed.

Last week, right before bed, I received an email from Elite at 10 PM with some suggested trending topics to write about. I'd already submitted one personal article, which was sitting in an "in review" status. The deadline was in 3 hours. Anxious to get something published, I stayed up til 1 am to crank out an article. I knew if I could whip something up, I’d have a good chance of getting online within a few days. Even more to my benefit- one of the trending topics was about my very own zodiac sign- Aries. So I went for it.

Well, happy to say that the loss of sleep that night was worth it. I’ve got my first byline on a major online platform, and I’m motivated more than ever to keep writing and to keep the exposure coming. I’ve got a lot more to say- but until then- click here for my Elite Daily debut!