Coletta Teske, Writer for Hire

I'd rather talk about all the interesting tidbits of information I find, the people I meet, and the places I've visited. It's all about the words and the pictures. Every word, every picture. Each tells a story. And, I love to write those stories. As long as I can tell these stories while hiding behind my computer and camera equipment.

Writing for a Living started innocently enough. I was a Cashier for a Seattle investment firm and a good typist. When the secretary for the VP of Sales became ill, I was asked to step in. My job... type sales letters and the company newsletter. The typing job quickly grew. Soon I was editing for grammar errors and, later, writing some of the newsletter copy.

Then I moved to another investment firm. This time in the Compliance Department. It was my job to write and update the stack of sales and training manuals the firm needed to be in compliance with SEC regulations. Yes, I was licensed by the FINRA (then it was called the NASD) and passed the tests for the Series 7 (General Securities Representative) and Series 27 (Financial and Operations Principal) licenses.

Working in the financial industry was the highlight of my life. My introduction to the Fast Lane. From an up close and personal view of the New York Stock Exchange to an introduction to Jimmy the Greek. I was still a young twenty-something and the future looked bright!

When the stock market crashed on that Black Monday in October of 1987, I didn't see a future in the securities industry. Although, I did see a booming Tech Market in the Seattle area. Computer and software companies, like Microsoft, were popping up everywhere. I had shown my abilities as a procedure writer and it was time to stretch my wings.

From technical writer in Seattle's version of Silicon Valley to homeless in Southern Indiana and homesick in Hawaii, I made the leap to published author. I was co-author on the first edition of Linux for Dummies. My publishing career had launched and I went on to publish 24 more mass market computer books through Macmillan and Prima Publishing. 

What goes up, must come down. And down came my publishing career. A new millennium had turned and the masses no longer needed books and manuals to tell them how to use their beloved gadgets. I needed a new gig.

A friend, who happened to be the City Editor for one of Stephens Media's Hawaii newspapers, asked me to freelance for him. I told him I didn't know anything about journalism. 

I have 100 resumes on my desk, all of them with bad grammar. My boss says I HAVE TO hire someone. Please? At least give it a try. I promise, I'll help you!

I'm glad I said yes. Being a stringer for a Hawaii newspaper turned out to be the coolest gig in the world. For two years, I traveled the Big Island, saw the sights, interviewed the residents, participated in events, and enjoyed the community theater. Then, madly rushed home and told my version of their story. 

I went from stringer to columnist. For three years, I wrote about gardening. Specifically, how to grow vegetables in tropical Hawaii. It was a natural extension of the years I spent in the University of Hawaii Tropical Master Gardener program. The other most coolest gig in the world.

I'm going to fast forward a bit here. A lot of changes happened between my move from Hawaii to Florida. Let's just say that I made several big moves. One of the biggest changes was moving away from writing for the corporate world to writing in the wired world.

No more clients with tight deadlines. No more editors with red lines. It was me and the machine. Woman against computer. In a battle over search engine fame.

Making this transition hasn't been easy. I'm a writer. Not a marketing expert. Not a social media guru. Just a writer. I knew I needed guidance in this new online writing world and I went on a search to find a website that could help me come out of my shell and join the ranks of the New Online Writer.

On August 15, 2014, Squidoo announced that it was closing its doors after 9 years. It was an emotional announcement. The community of Squidoo writers was devastated. Their home was being destroyed and served up in pieces to HubPages.

Becoming the Recycler Contributor on Squidoo opened new doors for me and introduced me to the world of blogging. And now I'm... Hooked on Blogging.

It began innocently enough. A group of Squidoo's most talented and successful writers, who were also selected as Contributors, asked me to join up with them so that we could all learn together. We really didn't know what to expect from Squidoo's Contributor program and there's safety in numbers.

Our fearless leader took charge and started a blog where we could all contribute posts to promote our contributor niches. It took me about a month of weekly bogging to find my addiction. Even though Squidoo has gone away, our group's blog, ReviewThis! Personal Reviews, is still going strong.

With my new-found blogging courage, I started a blog for my Recycler contributor niche. Together with my partner, Regg, The Recycler Network News was born. Regg and I are having a good time writing together. Blogging With Buddies is the only way to blog.

Soon after I became the Recycler Contributor, Regg and I moved into a home of our own. And we are so excited. We have the coolest yard with sunny and shady places for gardens all around the house. To celebrate starting over in life, we started another blog, Food FAQs. It's all about our love of healthy food and organic gardening.

Regg and I have a few other blogs in the works. He has some incredible artistic talent and a blog is the perfect place to show off his sculptures. Now that I have a home of my own, I have been able to set up my crafting room and sewing table. A blog will work quite well for sharing crafting tutorials. And, I've learned a lot in 30+ years of writing. A blog is a wonderful way to promote good writing.

Yes, I'm addicted to blogging. That doesn't mean I'll quit being a Writer for Hire. Once a Writer for Hire, always a Writer for Hire.

Call me if you're dancing in the dark and don't know where to start typing. It's just a spark you need and I'll help you find it. I'll get your message out for a fee.