With a bit of talent and plenty of dedication, Mary Ann Presman, 69, has turned her passion of reading, writing, and story crafting into a mid-life career. In 1995, after retiring as an advertising and public relations manager and copywriter, Mary Ann of Rockford, IL attended the famed Iowa Summer Writer’s Festival where she took a workshop that launched her on the road to becoming a published author.

“Early on I heard Jane Smiley speak at an author’s reading,” Mary Ann recalled. “She gave me hope in a Q&A by saying that she did think writing can be taught. She said you had to have some talent, but that by continuing to work at it, one could improve their skills. Obviously, I bought that.”

Mary Ann (center) at a writer’s workshop in Jamaica that was led by novelist Pam Houston (front row, left).

In the past 14 years, Mary Ann has attended more than 12 workshops and embracing her independent spirit, drives solo from Illinois to workshops in Provincetown, Portland, and St. Petersburg. “I slide in my CDs of road music – Willie Nelson, Steve Goodman, the Dixie Chicks- and I am off,” she said.

In 2010, Mary Ann will have a book published and available on Amazon. The new book titled “Curse? There Ain’t No Stinking Chicago Cub Curse,” is a collection of sports-related stories of Mary Ann’s, and fellow writer James Wolfe, who has published five novels. There are eleven stories–about golf, baseball, pool, blackjack, horse racing, bocce ball, basketball, tennis, and Scrabble dating. “It’s a fun book of stories with a few surprises,” Mary Ann said.   

We asked Mary Ann to tell us about her journey to becoming a published author.

Mary Ann at the family farm in Galena, IL

When and how did you get the writing bug? How old were you?

When I was a sophomore in high school (a ga-jillion years ago!) I wrote an essay about my Grandmother’s farm kitchen that won a rosary as best in our little English class. That was very important validation.

Can you tell us which famous writers you have met?

I’ve studied with some of the best: Pam Houston, Dennis Lehane, Margot Livesey, Antonya Nelson, Jim Shepard. The workshops typically have writers who will either be keynote speakers, or teach other workshops and read/speak in the evenings. So I heard Tom Perrotta read two nights before he was nominated for an Academy Award for the film adaptation of his novel, “Little Children.” I’ve also seen/heard read Jane Smiley, Peter Carey, John Irving, Elizabeth Strout, Bonnie Jo Campbell, Richard Price, Elizabeth Berg, Jodi Picoult, Jonathon Franzen, Michael Chabon, Alexandra Fuller, E. J. Doctorow, Augusten Burroughs, Anne Lamott, David Lodge, Laura Lippman, John Updike, Anna Quindlen, Joyce Carol Oates, Ann Patchett, Jacqueline Mitchard, Annie Proulx, and Margaret Atwood, among others. They were all memorable in their own way.

Did you have an ‘aha moment’ in your writing career thus far?

Well, mostly it’s when I read somebody like Elizabeth Strout or Elizabeth Berg and see the kind of writing I aspire to create. I enjoy reading others–Dennis Lehane, for instance–but I’m never going to write like he does.

Did you ever get really discouraged and think of giving it up?  If so, what did you do to recharge yourself?

I suppose I’ve been momentarily discouraged when I’ve received a rejection notice for a story that I thought would finally be published. But by signing up for a workshop every summer, I require myself to create a new story to be critiqued and I get pumped up by the workshop experience itself.

What is the best part about writing, and the things you find the most challenging?

The most challenging part for me is to keep at it because I’m not a very disciplined person and you are your own boss as a writer. I need to give myself deadlines. The best part of writing, of course, is when you know that someone has honestly enjoyed reading your story. I am addicted to reading and I aspire to giving someone else the pleasure that other writers have given to me…the comfort in knowing that you are not the only one who has such foibles, or the joy in sharing even a fictional character’s success in overcoming life’s unexpected obstacles.

Where do you find your story ideas?

Story ideas really do pop up just about anywhere. Some are adaptations, exaggerations of true-life happenings. Often, I observe a person, or more likely–two or three people together–and I imagine what might be going on between them. Presto! A story!

What does your family think of your writing career?

Since we’re all readers, they’re very supportive and very good at critiquing first or second drafts. My brother, Gary Houy, is a great editor–and with online communication he has served as an indispensable help with the book we’re about to publish. 

What’s next?

As I’ve been working on getting my 50,000 words down for the National Novel Writing Month exercise, I’ve written a couple of chapters that definitely have possibilities either as standalone stories or as part of a new collection. I’ve learned a lot over the last few years and I’m eager to continue honing my skills and improving my craft.

Mary Pat Byrne (If you have an idea for an inspiring story, please send the details to MPB@JustANumber.com)