Writers Accountability Network
Meet Rachael Phillips
I wrote poetry and stories as a child, but boys and music took my attention in high school. Although I loved the English papers my peers hated, a writing career never occurred to me. How could it, when writing was so much fun?
After I married, my writing consisted of letters to my parents and in-laws, as my husband professed an allergy to ink pens.
At forty, I became my church’s music director. Our omnipotent church secretary decreed each staff member would submit an article for the church newsletter each month. Unlike the others, I had fun with this assignment. To my surprise, so did my congregation. Some members regularly shared my articles with friends outside church circles. “You should write a book,” said one, then another.
When Bethel College sent me a brochure about an upcoming writing conference, I decided to explore the possibilities. “Write, write!” the seminar leaders urged. “Send your stuff to anyone who might publish!”
“No.”
“Would you like to try?”
For five years I reported news and wrote humor columns for the South Bend Tribune.
I also began writing classes at Bethel College, earning an associate degree in professional writing in December 2001. Several of my class projects metamorphosed into published magazine articles and books. I published my fourth book in November 2003 and will graduate from Bethel with a B.A. in English in May 2005.
How amazing is that?
