I've had an interest in writing/journalism since I was about 11 and started my own class newspaper in 6th grade. I love writing. It's been the way that I process the world. For a guy on the autism spectrum, writing is heaven.
But writing hasn't always loved me back.
Actually it isn't writing that hasn't loved me back, it's people. Most people are able to get into writing/journalism/communications through the help of others. Someone allows them to get into the field and they grow from there.
But I didn't really have an advocate or mentor. I had to make my own way-picking up whatever scraps to get into some writing. Maybe it's because I'm African American, maybe it was being on the spectrum, maybe it was both or neither, but for whatever reason, I've always felt locked out of the job market.In college, I wanted to get involved with the college newspaper. There were openings for copywriters and I thought this was my chance. I went to the offices and ended up talking to the publisher. Even though I knew a friend got a job there, they told me there were no jobs. This didn't happen just once, but twice. The second time another friend got a copywriting position and said they were looking for people. But they weren't looking for me.
That was over 30 years ago. In the proceeding three decades, I've learned to set aside my dreams to be a journalist, because it seemed all the time that there was always a barrier that kept me out. I didn't totally give up writing, though. I started blogging and people love my blogging, but it hasn't gone farther than that. I've tried submitting blog articles mostly on politics and more often than not, they are rejected. Other writers get their stories published on known websites and their writing is not always any better than mine.
I've worked in nonprofits doing communications, but I've learned how often nonprofits tend to be places where you have to fit a certain way of doing things. Being neurodiverse, it is hard for me to try to "fit in." Past experiences have made me think to be successful in what I enjoy, I have to learn to fit it to learn to be normal. You see, I've never been that normal. I've always been odd. Not crazy, just odd. The thing is, no matter how hard I've tried, I'm not normal. I am weird. Most people have never accepted my quirks and weirdness. Most businesses and nonprofits don't want weird or odd, they want normal.
Even when I got my diagnosis of Aspergers Syndrome, I still wanted to be normal. I wanted to be like everyone else. I kept failing in job after job, because I needed to be normal.
F*** normal.
At the age of 50 and after a painful firing, I've come to the conclusion that I won't ever be normal, so why keep trying? I'm a weird writer and that's okay. I never going to be a "normal" writer, but that doesn't mean I can't be a good writer who just happens to be odd. For a long time, I've felt I've had to enter into the front door for writers. But being odd, kinda like a clown, I have to enter by the side door. I've been writing on Medium for a while and made a little money from it. I'm starting to wonder if I can strike out on my own, doing stories on Medium and maybe later for other publications. I'm also looking into starting other publications to get my writing out. I will find ways to get paid, but the big thing is that I've stopped trying to be normal and enter in the front door. Time put on my clown nose and go into the side door.