From the CEO

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The official Newspaper of the A-1 Writing Academy

Page Editor:deborahowen
Founder/CEO

This article will be presented in two parts. Here, for your enjoyment, is Part One. Stay tuned for Part Two, in our next edition!

A DREAM COME TRUE

Dear Reader: I wrote this article in second person, past tense to free myself and allow my muse to flow more naturally. Journalism also has license to break many rules that would be binding. And now – the Story – as you’ve never heard it before.

I. A Brief Biography:

Ms. Deb admits to being a loner in life, never quite able to find her niche. As a child, she had two faithful friends. One from the age of 7 to 11, the other from 11 to her current age of 65. Every night, she stayed in her room with the door closed. What did she want to be?

A Writer, you ask? *gotcha* Actually, she wanted to be a stay-at-home wife and mother, like her mother before her.

At age 13, Deborah wrote her first official story, and entered it in a school contest. After competing against the Junior and Senior High Schools, she walked away with third prize. It was after her story was printed in the school newspaper, that she quit writing; thinking of it as glory past.

She married at age eighteen, became a mother at 19 and 23, and began writing children’s stories for her own wee ones at age 27. Submitting her stories never crossed her mind.

Although it waned many times, her writing fever never left again. It was after subscribing to The Writer, Writer’s Digest, and other such magazines, that she learned her trade piece-meal; finally filling in the cracks of her foundation at age 62.

Deborah found her first break in writing for local newspapers when she was in her 40’s. To this day, that is how she has taught young students to get their start. The thrill of publication was intoxicating. She wrote news articles, accident reports, and odd quirks of life. Sometimes she took drives to look for bizarre news and events, never leaving her house without a steno pad, tape recorder, and camera.

One day she discovered road crew equipment in someone’s front yard. *NEWS* An investigation led to the story: teenagers had stolen it for a prank, drove it down the street, mowed down the homeowner’s fence, and left it in their front yard. It was then, that her future opened wide – with a slight shove, shall we say.

II. Persistence Pays!

In the spring of 1994, it dawned upon Deborah that the American Legion’s 75th Anniversary Edition must be in preparation for that September. The National Headquarters happened to reside fifteen miles from her home, and the “call” grew within her. However, when she contacted the editor by phone, the reply was --

“I’m sorry. We don’t have any openings,” said Mr. White. Click.

A second call yielded the same results. After stewing over it for several days, she formed a last ditch attempt.

“Hello, Mr. White? This is Deborah Owen again. I understand your positions are full, but I have a proposition for you, which I know you’ll be interested in. Please allow me the honor of taking you out for lunch to let me explain it.” He insisted on hearing the proposition, but she wouldn’t budge. “I really must explain it in person,” she kept repeating. “You choose the time and place. It will be my treat, and I promise to be brief.” Finally, he agreed.

They met at his office the next day, and walked the three blocks to the diner. She still refused to tell him the proposition until they arrived. And what was this secret proposition? That she would be a great worker for the American Legion; that she would work any hours, and she would do menial labor – at no charge.

With a smile, he answered, “Let me give you some advice, Mrs. Owen. Never offer your services free of charge. You’re hired. When can you start?"

“Right now,” she said.

Later he told her, “I met you because I was curious, and I hired you because you were persistent.” (Addendum: when she dug for money to pay the diner check, she realized she had left her wallet at home. Scratching for every last cent [under his watchful eye], she paid the bill with loose dollars and a multitude of change, turned bright red, and walked out with her head high.)

She worked immediately beneath The American Legion’s national editor as an informal intern, for six wonderful weeks. One day, Deborah had business with a lady from The American Legion’s female counterpart, The American Legion Auxiliary. The woman was excessively rude to Deb, who took it for “so long”. “And then I stood up to her,” she said. The woman called Mr. White, insisting that he fire Deborah. He did, with many regrets. Politics ruled.

In that six weeks, Deborah learned to research files, make databases, and ghost-write 37 articles. What she learned there prepared her for an excellent future. However, due to depression, she didn’t realize the huge door she had entered. Her fire went out in a blaze of glory as she retired from writing. Ms. Owen dabbled in personal writing after that, but never submitted again. Somewhere, there was a bigger plan.

III. The Plan

Online classes became a way of life for her. In the fall of 2005, Ms. Owen’s yearning for the craft persevered once again. After performing a Dog-pile search for “writing”, she landed in the arms of Writing.com. No longer did she seek her niche in life. The long, lonely and insecure years finally found roots in WDC, and she began to bloom again. WDC was the culmination of everything she had searched for, and a yen inside her made her want to remunerate for what she had received. Then, came THE IDEA! A SCHOOL!

Her qualifications as a substitute teacher in a private school, teaching music classes, piano and organ, typing and computer, Sunday School and Child Evangelism, gave her the base she needed. Deborah realized that all the seemingly insignificant events in her life suddenly formed God’s puzzle for her. Ms. Deb claimed she had the faith of a babe, the ignorance of a court jester, and the heart of a lion as she entered the ring.

“The fact I had been a WDC member for only six weeks AND a rating of only TWO, never entered my mind. I had found my destiny.”

But her next words were, “If I had known what I was getting into, I never would have tried it. God was so good to hide that part from me. I didn’t even know how to sort mail or create an item – and who the heck was SM?" She laughed. “And then one day I actually talked to him – the father of this huge undertaking. HE talked to ME. Awesome! I was on cloud nine for days, because I had learned something truly fantastic! SM really was a live person. A person I have come to know, and truly, truly admire.”

Deb tested the idea of a school on her only friend, Cookie ~ contemplatingareturn . Cookie’s reply? If you know Cookie, you know she said, “SURE you can do it! And I’ll help you.” Thus, a partnership was born. Deb owned it. The two of them brainstormed it and Cookie created it. Without Cookie, there would have been no Creative Writing Forum. (That was the original name, you know.)

IV. The Creation

Cookie and Deb worked until the wee hours of the morning, seven days a week. Long distance bills soared. They fell asleep at the computer. They laughed. They even prayed together, and therein came their strength.

“Other than the day I formed a real relationship with the Lord, it was the biggest turning point of my life,” said Deb. “Cookie and I stepped out on virgin territory with no knowledge whatsoever. Had I known what I was getting into, I would have gone to bed and covered my head with the blankets. But the Lord was our Cornerstone. We turned every decision over to Him, and what you see today is a result of His full direction.

“I make no apologies for giving time and space to the Great Creator, without whom, not one of us could draw a breath. This is not a Christian Academy, per se, but we do apply Christian principles to every division. To honor the Lord and to spread the Good Word, I created the Devotional Department. Ms. Saundra, Mr. Larry, and Mr. John staff that department now, and they do an awesome job. The three of them give it a huge variety.

“We have received comments on it from Japan, Africa, and India, to name a few. The Word is going out, and it has power – the kind of power that changes lives and gives people new beginnings. I know my limitations. Neither Cookie nor I could have built this school. God built it, through us.

“Invalid Item  houses every religion on the planet, and they are all welcome, without exception. I want to emphasize that. We have Hindus, Buddhists, Wiccans, Atheists, Agnostics, and Witches, not to speak of every church you can think of. This school is open to everyone, and we serve them all with humility. They are welcome to their own points of view, but we glorify the great God who made heaven and earth and all therein. He is our Captain.”
Clue #2
After four months of agonizing preparation, the Creative Writing Forum was born, at 9:30 am, on April 9, 2006 – unfinished. It opened with five prose classes, and two poetry classes. The biggest goal on April 9 was to have 100 students. That dream was soon realized.

The singular goal of Creative Writing Forum, was to escort each individual from their present level to their highest potential. Ideas came fast. Classes were added. And then Deb decided to add the Block Party, as a sort of playground for the staff.

Some may remember the days of rows of flowers, and flying bumblebee’s hovering with watering cans. And how about the couple doing the jitter-bug? That was the pre-graphics era when Deb used clip-art, before she knew she could buy logos.

Over a year’s time, the logos of hilarious bees and flowers have changed to the professional graphics you see today. Many graphics artists have been a part of their history. Andra, vivacious is the resident artist now, but there are many in A-1’s history. As you stroll through the site, you will see sigs, logos and graphics from DragonBlue , goghvinci , iKïyå§ama (this Newspaper's Resident Graphics Artist/webpage manager), Ladyoz (this newspaper''s resident web designer), and many, many others.

The Creative Writing Forum changed its name to the Invalid Item  in the winter of 2006. It was a new beginning, with more new ideas, and now they are ready to turn the corner again to become the NEW Invalid Item .

End of Part One. Stay tuned to this page for "the rest of the story"!

Ms. Deb
deborahowen

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