My Writing Life: How do I love thee? Let me count the ways

by Patricia Fry

In honor of Valentine’s Day I’ll attempt to capture the elements of my career, which has kept me happily writing for forty-eight years. In 1973 I began gathering the tools for my career as a freelance article writer—a borrowed manual typewriter on top of a TV tray, White-Out, and carbon paper—oh yes, and Writer’s Market. Hundreds of articles and ninety-one published books later, I’m still in love with the process of writing.

So how and why do I love what I do?

1: A career in writing offers a sense of freedom not found in many other professions.

I worked from home before it became fashionable, and I loved it. I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing fascinating people and traveling to interesting places, and I can choose to delve into any topic I so desire. I can write anywhere—while flying business class to Dubai to speak about creativity, waiting in the dentist’s office or for a meeting to start, at the beach, or on the patio—anywhere, really.

When I’m doing something that prevents me from managing a pencil and paper, I can dictate or simply develop a story or article in my head while I’m trail riding on horseback (and I have), riding in my pilot-grandson’s plane with my father, taking my meditation walk, or evacuating my cats during an encroaching fire.

2: As a writer I have extraordinary opportunities to teach and to learn.

If I want to learn something, I write about it. I adore teaching. I didn’t know that until friends urged me to organize a writing workshop. Since that first workshop on magazine-article writing years ago, I have taught many dozens on all aspects of the business of writing in many cities throughout the United States. Although I focused on freelance magazine-article writing for forty years, I also wrote books along the way. By 2012, I had published more than 40 nonfiction books, keeping to my desire and responsibility to teach and to share.

Ten years ago I retired from nonfiction and began writing cozy mysteries. And I still teach and I still learn. I’ve even posted a list of 100 things you can learn by reading my Klepto Cat Mysteries.

3: Writers posess the ability to make a difference, and that’s important to me.

I don’t aspire to change minds, and I certainly don’t generally discuss controversial subjects, but I consciously try to create a peaceful atmosphere among the characters in my stories. My main characters have positive values, or they’re learning them by some of the circumstances in my stories. Fans often thank me for creating such kind characters. I think it’s important for writers to create characters who teach values when at all possible—except for maybe Rags, my cat character. He’s a little off the wall and out of control now and then. And Rags meets up with a bad guy or gal in almost every story—but good prevails, and that’s also the way the fans like it.

4: I love that I can tap into my creativity each and every day of the year.

I believe we are creative beings in the way that we choose to live, go about our daily lives, tie our shoes, speak, interact with others, and so forth. Most of us, it seems, also have a desire to express our creativity in artistic ways—painting, photography, needlework, gardening, beading—the list goes on and on. I’ve dabbled in many artistic endeavors and still do, but writing is my go-to creative outlet, where I want to expend my energy and time. Even though it takes self-discipline to develop a writing schedule and adhere to it, from my perspective this does not diminish the creative aspect of writing.

People ask how I’ve managed to write forty-nine complete stories within a theme that seems limited, and not only that, but each book contains a series of side stories. How do I do this? I call on my imagination, of course, but I also draw from my life experiences, stories other people tell me, my observations, my curiosity (which can become distracting sometimes), and interacting with my own cats. I’m not sure I’d have been able to produce such a rich array of unique stories if I’d started writing these books fifty years ago. The aging experience is a writer’s friend—that is, if that writer remains aware, alert, and open to interesting slices of life, humorous tidbits, and fascinating themes.

I find fiction amazingly freeing as far as story concepts and development, but I have never turned my back on good old research. Even fiction must ring true.

5: Writing is my passion.

I tell people I can’t not write. When I first coined that phrase (I believe I actually stole it from someone else), I had no idea how deeply meaningful it would become.

So what is it about my career that I love most? It gives me the freedom and the opportunity to teach and to learn and to make a difference for people while affording me the perfect outlet for expressing my creativity and following my passion. What could be better than that?

Patricia Fry is the author of 91 published books. After nearly forty years writing nonfiction, she retired to develop the Klepto Cat Mysteries—a cozy mystery series with cats. She is a former director of SPAWN, now Writers and Publishers Network.