From Creating Characters to Creating Change: How I Fell in Love With Copywriting

When I was 12, I tried to write a fantasy novel. It wasn't very good, and it still sits unfinished in a folder somewhere in the cloud, but it kept me busy during summer camp as I sat in my wheelchair on the sidelines of the gym while all the other kids played basketball and jumped rope. 

It sparked a love of storytelling that's still strong almost a decade and a half later.

In college, my love of storytelling transformed into a desire to see my story on screen. I studied advertising and hoped to become a copywriter and write ads that starred disabled actors. 

More than anything, I wanted to write ads that told stories and sparked conversations around disability, accessibility, equity, and diversity. I dreamed of writing everything from PSAs about acceptance for the Ad Council to short spots for department stores that featured kids who use wheelchairs and have cerebral palsy like I do.

After graduating, I interned as a copywriter at a brand consultancy. I thought I was taking the first steps toward my dream of making ads and telling the stories that I needed to see on screen as a child. Then, COVID hit, and everyone went into lockdown.

As the two-week hiatus from the internship became months long, one day blurred into the next. I needed something to do to keep myself busy, so in July 2020, I started freelancing.

I've been a freelance email copywriter and content writer ever since. I've worked with companies in multiple industries, including higher education, pet care, business management, and marketing, but my favorite industry to write for has been software. Writing about SaaS allows me to help people solve their problems and learn about technology that can make their lives easier.

My journey as a writer has given me opportunities to learn about people, industries, and communities that I wouldn't have been exposed to if I hadn't started writing on the sidelines of that basketball court in the summer camp gym years ago.

I don't know what's next for my writing career, but no matter where it takes me, I hope to one day bring everything full circle and write for a software or technology company that creates assistive tech and software for people with disabilities so I can write blog content and email copy that gives back to my community.