Non-fiction
This is a piece of non-fiction I've written for kids and the closest I've come to having something published in a children's magazine. The editors at Highlights were interested enough to consider this article for their Careers section and send me their comments even though they decided it wasn't quite right for their readers.
A Writer's Life
When Owen Linzmayer was 16, he made a life-changing discovery.
“I found out that computer gaming magazines would pay me to write reviews of new games and that the game companies would send me games to review.”
At first, Owen didn’t think of writing as a career. He just liked to play computer games, and he didn’t have enough money to buy all of the games he wanted to play. He was reading a review of a new game when he realized that he could write a review just as well as the author.
“I knew that magazines paid their writers, but I hadn’t thought about the possibility of being one of those writers.”
He decided to write a review of a new game he had bought, so he researched how reviews were written in different magazines. He noted the format and the information that the authors included. Typically, there were three parts: an introduction; a discussion of the hardware requirements, the quality of the graphics, playing speed, and level of difficulty; and a summary of the pros and cons with an overall rating.
Owen wrote his first review and sent it to the reviews editor at a computer gaming magazine. The editor accepted the piece, and the magazine paid Owen $25. He was thrilled. When his review was published a couple of months later, he was thrilled again when he saw his byline, “by Owen W. Linzmayer,” in print.
“I made a copy of my review and sent it to the game company with a personal note. That became a habit of mine: 25 years later, I send a personal email with a link to the published article to every company whose product I review.”
Owen went on to write reviews of games by different companies for several magazines. He began to write reviews of other software programs for general-interest computing magazines. He even co-authored a book on video gaming.
When Owen was 17, Creative Computing, which was one of the biggest computer publishers in the late 70s and early 80s, moved to his hometown. He applied for a summer job in the software group, but there were no openings. A few days later, however, an employee quit and Owen got the job. As the newest and youngest employee, he did the work no one else wanted to do.
“No matter what I had to do, I was determined to do the best job possible. I was always thinking of ways to do things better to make our customers happier.”
One of Owen’s tasks was to send replacements to customers who were unhappy with the software they had purchased. No one could tell him why customers were returning software. Curious, Owen read all of the notes that customers had included with their returns. He discovered that there was a problem with packaging. The wrong game or guide often was shipped in another game’s packaging. He mentioned this to his boss, who made sure that the fulfillment team paid closer attention to assembling packages. The number of returns decreased significantly.
Owen continued to work at Creative Computing during the summers even after he went to college in Boston, Massachusetts. At Boston University, he majored in Management because he wanted to know how to run every aspect of a business, but he continued to write software reviews in his spare time.
“I never let my writing interfere with my studies, but the money I earned helped cover my expenses at college. Being able to write well also helped me succeed in all of my classes.”
After graduating, Owen worked as an assistant editor, technical editor, and reviews editor for various computer publications. Ten years later, he decided to try freelance technical writing.
“I wanted to write more than reviews. I wanted to help software users by helping companies improve their user’s guides. As much as I liked working for a magazine, I was ready to go out on my own.”
For over 15 years, Owen has been working as a freelancer. His company is called Owen Ink. He still writes reviews for magazines, but he also writes user’s guides and reviewer’s guides, among other projects, for hardware and software companies. He has a flexible schedule that allows him to pursue other interests and spend time with his family and friends.
“I’m lucky to have found something that I do well and enjoy. A freelancer’s life isn’t for everyone, but if you have language skills, subject-matter knowledge, and the discipline to work on your own — and you don’t mind not knowing where your next paycheck is coming from — then you have what it takes. There’s a magazine and an audience for everything; I encourage aspiring writers to take a chance on writing about what they know and love.”
“I found out that computer gaming magazines would pay me to write reviews of new games and that the game companies would send me games to review.”
At first, Owen didn’t think of writing as a career. He just liked to play computer games, and he didn’t have enough money to buy all of the games he wanted to play. He was reading a review of a new game when he realized that he could write a review just as well as the author.
“I knew that magazines paid their writers, but I hadn’t thought about the possibility of being one of those writers.”
He decided to write a review of a new game he had bought, so he researched how reviews were written in different magazines. He noted the format and the information that the authors included. Typically, there were three parts: an introduction; a discussion of the hardware requirements, the quality of the graphics, playing speed, and level of difficulty; and a summary of the pros and cons with an overall rating.
Owen wrote his first review and sent it to the reviews editor at a computer gaming magazine. The editor accepted the piece, and the magazine paid Owen $25. He was thrilled. When his review was published a couple of months later, he was thrilled again when he saw his byline, “by Owen W. Linzmayer,” in print.
“I made a copy of my review and sent it to the game company with a personal note. That became a habit of mine: 25 years later, I send a personal email with a link to the published article to every company whose product I review.”
Owen went on to write reviews of games by different companies for several magazines. He began to write reviews of other software programs for general-interest computing magazines. He even co-authored a book on video gaming.
When Owen was 17, Creative Computing, which was one of the biggest computer publishers in the late 70s and early 80s, moved to his hometown. He applied for a summer job in the software group, but there were no openings. A few days later, however, an employee quit and Owen got the job. As the newest and youngest employee, he did the work no one else wanted to do.
“No matter what I had to do, I was determined to do the best job possible. I was always thinking of ways to do things better to make our customers happier.”
One of Owen’s tasks was to send replacements to customers who were unhappy with the software they had purchased. No one could tell him why customers were returning software. Curious, Owen read all of the notes that customers had included with their returns. He discovered that there was a problem with packaging. The wrong game or guide often was shipped in another game’s packaging. He mentioned this to his boss, who made sure that the fulfillment team paid closer attention to assembling packages. The number of returns decreased significantly.
Owen continued to work at Creative Computing during the summers even after he went to college in Boston, Massachusetts. At Boston University, he majored in Management because he wanted to know how to run every aspect of a business, but he continued to write software reviews in his spare time.
“I never let my writing interfere with my studies, but the money I earned helped cover my expenses at college. Being able to write well also helped me succeed in all of my classes.”
After graduating, Owen worked as an assistant editor, technical editor, and reviews editor for various computer publications. Ten years later, he decided to try freelance technical writing.
“I wanted to write more than reviews. I wanted to help software users by helping companies improve their user’s guides. As much as I liked working for a magazine, I was ready to go out on my own.”
For over 15 years, Owen has been working as a freelancer. His company is called Owen Ink. He still writes reviews for magazines, but he also writes user’s guides and reviewer’s guides, among other projects, for hardware and software companies. He has a flexible schedule that allows him to pursue other interests and spend time with his family and friends.
“I’m lucky to have found something that I do well and enjoy. A freelancer’s life isn’t for everyone, but if you have language skills, subject-matter knowledge, and the discipline to work on your own — and you don’t mind not knowing where your next paycheck is coming from — then you have what it takes. There’s a magazine and an audience for everything; I encourage aspiring writers to take a chance on writing about what they know and love.”