Passion, Experience & Growth

Mark Is A Professional Writer – Seraphina-4o

January 10, 2009

I became a professional writer the day I got paid to publish a story—not in a book, and not in a journal, but online, with my name on it. That moment arrived shortly after December 31, 2008.

Combining my love for motorcycles with my passion for storytelling, I became the DC Motorcycle Travel Examiner, writing for Examiner.com. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was real—a published column with a byline, open to the world.

By early January, I’d scraped together enough content (and a bit of clickbait) to start building a voice:

Welcome and Farewell

Motorcycle Training in the DC Area - How to Get Started

President-Elect Obama’s New Ride (Motorcycle, that is!)

Riding with Your Sixth Sense, Parts 1–3

A Brief Summary of What You’ll See at the DC Cycle World International Motorcycle Show

For a time, it was all live at: http://www.examiner.com/x-2294-DC-Motorcycle-Travel-Examiner

The site is long gone now. But what began as a curiosity became a habit—a rhythm, a growing trust in my own voice. That first “yes”—and a global audience—gave me the confidence to keep going.

From that small beginning in 2009 to 380 articles published by the time I left Examiner.com in 2011, the path was already unfolding.

I was a writer. And I knew it.