I lasted a mere nine years in the profession I had gone to school for, which is unusual. Most of the journalists I know are either still in it or were at it for at least double the time. I probably would have done the same but there was a matter of a boy.
My departure from the Daily News was precipitated by the breakdown of my marriage, which left me with custody of my six-year-old son. There was no way that I could be a full-time, single parent and still be a reporter. I would either have huge babysitting costs, need to lean too much on family, or need to take him with me on assignments - all of which were untenable.
I noticed an opening at the Friendship House for a Program Director and, while I had no background in program development and staff management, I was a writer, and proposal writing was a big part of the job. And so it was, in 1997, after nine years as a reporter, that I moved into the world of administration.
I still kept my foot in the journalism door. I wrote columns for the Daily News and, then, the Northwest Weekly and Muskeg News. I freelanced news and sports stories for Aboriginal papers including Ravens Eye and Native Journal. I also wrote the All Native Tournament program for many years.
The program director position had just a slightly better salary but the extra cash that I earned by freelancing put me in a less stressful financial position. And, now, I wrote about what I wanted to when I wanted to. There were occasional assigned topics for my freelance columns, but I could basically write whatever I desired as long as it was within the parameters of decency.
No longer having to worry about being biased, I waded more into politics, both social and political. Occasionally, this resulted in angry letters or confrontations on the street, the shopping line, or in a bar but nothing serious (although I did receive one "I should punch you in the head" on the street). The majority, though, of my writing was observational, humorous, and personal.
I wrote on a wide variety of subjects but there was one that I wrote on most often – so many times that a wonderful woman put the articles together in a binder, saving it as a future gift. That subject was my then only son, Eli, and that wonderful woman was his grandma, Mary. I loved watching Eli and sharing my thoughts on him (and kids in general), while also noting my efforts, hopes, and fears as a father.
The Eli columns were very popular and I was often stopped on the street by readers to tell me how much they enjoyed them. In becoming a reluctant celebrity, he was frequently baffled by strangers who said hi to him by name.
Meanwhile, the move to Friendship House did more than allow me the chance to write articles of my choosing. It gave me a chance to explore another type of writing that I had been thinking about for some time but found it difficult to dive into while in reporter mode. The creative writing itch could be scratched at last!
The idea of a novel always lurked in my mind but at this “stage” of my life, I was surrounded by theatre types, some of whom were my best friends. So, with no theatre training whatsoever, I decided that I was going to write a skit, as a warmup, and then a play.
I mean, how hard could it be?
NEXT: One False Move and an alien with a cow head!