We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Robin Stearns Lee a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Robin Stearns, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was the most important lesson/experience you had in a job that has helped you in your professional career?

As a teenager, I worked at the Dairy Queen in my Florida neighborhood. Handling the crush of customers wanting to cool down in the Florida weather with some yummy ice cream was challenging. It didn’t take me long to become an expert at whipping up an appealing banana split or chocolate malt with a smile. But I soon learned that my favorite job task was stepping back from the counter and refilling all the toppings, ice cream cones, and other supplies that had dwindled because of the large crowd of customers.

I liked being the person in the background, making sure all the workers had what they needed. I methodically replaced ice cream toppings, brought out more cups, lids, and straws, and added a new container of hot fudge to the empty heater unit. Once everything was filled to the max, I went back to my job waiting on customers. But it wouldn’t be long before the need to step back and refill would happen again.

That experience taught me and prepared me for a career as an administrative assistant for a busy chemical company. I became an expert at taking care of the needs of my executive team, taking on tasks for them that would free them up to do the work that only they could do. And it also gave me a good basis for my current life as a writer. I like the editing, proofreading, and behind-the-scenes work of creating a beautiful written work. I’m not so great at being the person “up front,” although I can do those parts of the job when needed. But my real skill lies in the behind-the-scenes tasks.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I have been involved in some form of writing most of my life, but it’s only been in the last 10 years or so that I’ve gotten serious about writing for publication. From my first written paper in elementary school, where I described a younger sister who could cry for hours and not shed a tear, I’ve gotten encouragement from my teachers. My high school English teacher was especially complimentary about my writing and asked me to join the yearbook staff. I am still friends with that same teacher today and she reads everything I write! And we play “Words With Friends” together daily (but I only occasionally win the game!)

In my 30+ year career as an administrative assistant, I used my writing skills in my job. I edited the company newsletter, provided content for our bulletin board postings and closed circuit television (CCTV) feed, and contributed articles to our corporate publication. A highlight of my career was submitting written nominations for celebrating employee contributions, winning a trip to the London Olympics for several employees and a team who achieved the highest honor that year in the corporate award program. I supported a large group of engineers and discovered most of them hated to write, so I was often called on to help them write their reports and designs.

Outside my worklife I have written articles for newspapers, created newsletters for my church, contributed to two anthologies of short stories, and self-published a short children’s story on Amazon. The story behind my Amazon publication is interesting; I was a mentor for a 5th grader and when I first met her and tried to determine what we had in common, I asked her if she enjoyed reading (my passion!) She replied that she HATED to read. In an effort to try to change her mind about reading, I asked her if she HAD to read something, what would it be. She said she would enjoy fantasy stories, like “Harry Potter.” I’d never written any fiction at that point but decided it was worth the challenge to try to write something she would read.

So, I created a little fantasy story called “The Girl Who Hated to Read” and put her in the story. I printed it out and gave it to her and she enjoyed it and said it made her think harder about finding stories she would enjoy. And then to surprise her, I self-published the little story and created a cute cover for it. It’s still out there on Amazon; crudely created cover and all! I followed that young girl through her school years, continuing to mentor her, and she ended up joining the Army. And I’d like to say I helped her enjoy reading.

My favorite writing is inspirational articles and devotions. I like to write about everyday occurrences that illustrate a Biblical truth or lesson; similar to how Jesus used parables to teach lessons. My articles have appeared in online magazines, such as Inspiration.org and Christian Women Living, and my newest devotion will publish in July in Just Between Us magazine.

A lifelong goal was to have an article published in Chicken Soup for the Soul. Many years ago, I finally had an article accepted (after many previous rejections) and told everyone about it, including my high school English teacher. My manager at work held a little party for me to celebrate, complete with a cake decorated with a Chicken Soup book cover. I was so embarrassed when the book was published to find that my story had not been included. Apparently Chicken Soup does not like to send “sorry letters”, and they didn’t feel it was necessary to tell me my story had not made the final editing cut. My “Chicken Soup failure” dampened my confidence for a while.

But years later I had another story accepted! This time I told NO ONE. And within a few weeks of publication I received the good news that my story would be included in Chicken Soup for the Soul, “What I Learned from My Dog.” It’s been a great experience and is the first time I have received compensation for my writing.

I have joined a local chapter of American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) with the goal of trying to learn to write fiction. I have written a few short stories and would really enjoy trying my hand at writing an inspirational novel. The group has been a great encouragement for me, and I am learning the craft.

The main things I would like others to learn is to never give up on your dreams, and don’t think you are too old to learn anything new. Go after what you are passionate about. I graduated from college when I was 59 years old (I’d always regretted not attending college immediately after high school; choosing marriage and a family instead.) I’m learning new skills and at age 72 I finally have a Chicken Soup story published!

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

My biggest source of encouragement in my writing life has been attending a writers conference. It’s been like a “magic ticket” introducing me to publications which would accept my style of writing and helping me to meet others with the same goal.

The particular conference I attended offering a writing competition and I was blessed to win first place in the devotion category. I was encouraged to submit that devotion to an online magazine, and they immediately published it. After many years of receiving rejection letters from magazines, I was amazed to have a submission published.

Attending a conference also offered networking opportunities with other writers, the chance to speak with editors and publishers, as well as attending great classes to learn new skills and tips.

I would encourage anyone who is serious about getting into the writing world to find a conference near them and attend!

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

I have always enjoyed reading and there’s nothing finer in my mind than to be deeply involved in a thrilling and well-written book. After finishing a great book, I often think about how wonderful it would be to be able to write just ONE book like the one I’d just read. How rewarding it must feel to put so much time and effort into a creative work, then have someone read it, write a good review about it, tell their friends about it, and say they loved it!

I have not achieved the goal of writing a whole book (yet) … but I am feeling the reward of creating a beautiful short story, article or devotion that touched someone’s heart and gave them hope and encouragement. Writing is also a perfect way I can share my faith. Creating something from nothing is an amazing ability and I am blessed to have just a little bit of talent to create something beautiful. The creation is a reward in itself!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.robinstearnslee.wordpress.com
• Facebook: Robin Stearns Lee, Author
• Linkedin: Robin Stearns Lee