But working on a newspaper made me realize that rather than reporting what others were doing, I wanted to work with the people who were doing things. I came to Washington, D.C. as an unpaid intern for one of my state's Senators. It was an invaluable experience. They quickly became aware that I was a good writer, and as a result, I was able to move up the ranks of the staff very quickly. From there, I was able to move on to work at the Cabinet level.
Writing is a creative process that requires a lot of mental energy and discipline.
Doing it full time is a challenge, and my boss speaks a lot. So there are deadlines and multiple projects that need to be handled at once. Perhaps the most stressful or challenging part of the job is that you are not writing a speech for yourself, but for someone else to give. What you like may not be what they like. That is something you have to accept as a speechwriter.