Mark Schweitzer

I spent about 30+ years as an advertising creative, primarily in broadcast and print. Over my career I've written about 5,000 radio commercials and many hundreds of print ads and publications. Over the years, I transitioned to more client-side marketing and freelance communications while I continued to pursue my creative writing in my spare time. I've written one novel, some stories and poetry, and a number of essays and articles for publications like Strong Towns (Urban Planning and City Issues) to The Devil Strip (a local alternative magazine). My interest in graphic layout and design has allowed me to do some book publishing, and I've produced about 10 books that are currently available on Amazon.

My primary challenge is trying to decide whether my skills are best utilized in prose writing or script writing. Much of the prose fiction I've worked on is very visual in nature, and could probably be developed into a script without an extraordinary effort. I write what I see in my head, and stories usually play out there like they would in a film. I like developing and telling stories, but I find writing to be a pain in the ass. I feel being here with other people will help motivate me to get to work, find some discipline and settle into a "second career" as I wrap up my 9-5 job over the next few years. Late, but never too late.