My Short-Lived Career as a Newspaperman

In 1991, two years after I hung up the bungee cords and moved to Los Angeles, an unexpected opportunity came my way. I was living in Venice Beach, sharing a studio apartment with Chris Swain, another former dockporter. Let's just say we weren't lighting our cigars with $100 bills at the time—we were dead broke. I needed money and thought my time as a dockporter on Mackinac Island might make for an interesting article. So, I decided to pitch it to the Chicago Tribune.

The Pitch

The dockporter scene on Mackinac Island had this quirky Midwest travel angle I figured might catch the Tribune's eye. I "blind queried" the editor of the travel section, claiming I had already written an entertaining piece. To my surprise, about a week later, the editor wrote back (yes, kids, he actually wrote back) and asked to see the article.

The Hustle

There was one small problem: I hadn’t written a single word. With the editor waiting, I had about a week to crank out the article. It was a nerve-wracking time, but I managed to pull it off. I interviewed my buddies, including my future co-author Jim Bolone, though I’ll admit to making up some quotes to spice things up. I even misspelled Jim's last name (BA-lone). I used Swain’s photos we had lying around, and I was good to go.

The Payoff

Four weeks later, I got a check for $1,500 and a proof of the article. It ran in the paper shortly after. Seeing my work in print was a head-spinning rush and probably planted the seed that the dockporter subculture was worth exploring further. This experience eventually led me to write a script, which was later adapted into a novel.

I never wrote another newspaper article, but I did leave the game with a solid .1000 batting average.

The Impact

Although my career as a newspaperman was short-lived, it had a lasting impact. The article showed me that there were real stories to tell about Mackinac Island and its unique characters. It took years (okay, decades) of honing my craft and developing my ideas, but that initial article was a very cool step on my journey to becoming a published author.

Plus I paid 3 months’ rent. Those were the days.

Here’s the article: