We were lucky to catch up with Nolcha Fox recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Nolcha, thanks for joining us today. Can you take us back in time to the first dollar you earned as a creative – how did it happen? What’s the story?

The first dollar I earned was for a short story accepted by a new horror magazine (it collapsed a couple of months later, but at least I was paid).

I was astonished. I should have been more astonished — that was the most money I ever made from a submission.

I was also elated. I could write creatively after a couple of decades of writing technical manuals for a living. Retirement was looking rosy!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’ve written all my life, starting with poop on the walls (I finally graduated to crayons). I also wrote in book margins, once in a book my father borrowed. Oops.

I was a technical writer for over two decades. I wrote for software developers whose second or third language was English. Although I didn’t realize it, technical writing taught me how to write simply and clearly. That’s a gift I brought to writing short stories, and then poetry.

I’m proud of all the pieces I’ve written, and I love playing with words. You can see my latest work here:
https://writingaddiction2.wordpress.com/

I’ve done a couple of stints as editor of some literary magazines, most recently Chewers by Masticadores. Writing and editing keeps my brain young (never mind the rest of me).

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

I love that creativity isn’t limited by age. Age and experience enhances my writing, mostly because I’m not worried about pleasing anybody or meeting deadlines. I write because I love to write. Because I’m always trying something new. Because I’m always learning.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

Writing isn’t just about the words, it’s about making new connections. It’s about helping other writers find new opportunities and enhance their skills.

As I write, my goals change. You can get an idea about that from the many websites I’ve created. For myself.

For example, for a couple of years, I just wanted a record of everything I’d written. However, I used links to my pieces, and literary magazines don’t always last long. Dead links, lost work.

So, I created a new website, where each post was a new poem I published. Again, I wanted a record of my work. Then I started to participate in prompt challenges, and found that other prompt participants had trouble leaving comments.

So, I started a new website with a robust comment feature.

Sigh. I’m learning a great deal about building websites.

And I’m learning that a big part of writing is the administrivia.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://writingaddiction2.wordpress.com/, https://nolchafox2.wixsite.com/nolcha-s-written-wor, https://nolchafox2.wixsite.com/blog
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nolcha.fox/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nolchafox/
• Other: Medium: @nolchafox_14571