A Writer Journey by Joseph Jay Doway

Creative Writing is a career that can lead one to many professional opportunities ranging from copywriting and copy editing to blogging and marketing.? So, this article is worth the time of any LinkedIn Reader and anyone who enjoys a career journey. God bestows gifts on each one of us and I have known for years that writing is my gift, my calling. I am Joseph Doway, one of those writers who would wake up in the night to write or jot some notes to a poem or idea. I am always prompted to dedicating a poem to any deserving person. I want to use my life experiences in my writing, real or fiction to help make a difference. I am capable of writing a romance novel as well as I can compose a heart wrenching poem. My various paths in paths in the business world allows me to go from idea to publication. My words come though inspiration and an urge to want to express freely. My personal preoccupations as an elderly person helps to nourish my imagination. My interest is also focused on political advocacy, business development, innovation, leadership and romance. ?Research and conversation with persons of different culture, the experience of travel is like the engine of my stories. When my mind wonders, it always wanders to creating beauty, a great influence on developing content marketing.

I want to continue becoming a very compendious and astonishing writer and continue to increase my writing skills with continuous practice.

There is a saying that one should have a career that they love. Writing and composing are top on my line. ?In fact, I started writing short stories and documentaries while attending the Saint Mary’s Academy. uninitiated SMA which was deemed “Smartest Men Alive” and I have continued putting pen to paper for the past 55 years. I started by writing poems on various subjects, some of which are provoking and skits for small church plays.? That mushroomed into short stories about my travels or travel dreams. As I matured, my father engaged my services whereby he dictated to me, and I would write his articles for local newspapers such as the Dominica Chronicle and the Herald Newspaper.? His articles were mainly about his vision for improvement, his advocacy for development of people and the role of government. Some were very provocative while others were considered controversial. ?By 1972, I had taken a break from working in aviation to focus on writing and had accepted to work with SMASH Sounds Productions, a talent promotion company as a writer, focusing on the success of musical artist around the Caribbean. In 1974, I was asked to read some of my poems on Dominican Broadcasting Services (DBS) and as the words echoed across the world, it was heard by Julian Rogers. He was so intrigued that he asked me to be a guest on Young Folk, a radio program for the youth on Radio Antilles, Montserrat. As I matured in writing, I took up the mantle and continued writing articles for major newspapers as columnist. Confidence in my writing began to take flight and my writing became so renowned that many readers knew my style of writing and the boldness of my thoughts, even when I wrote anonymously.? My popularity grew and I wrote speeches for new entry politicians who won their seats. In 1998, I wrote my first manuscript entitled “To Each His Own” I asked the late Harry Belafonte to read and comment and he thought I had the ability of becoming a great writer.? What I had realized is that I was consumed by the need to write, just as well I was intrigued with photography.? But my writer’s block was caused by my career in hotel management.? I could not find the time to sit and put my creative and realistic thoughts onto paper. Somewhere in the early 2000s, a dear international journalist friend and writer suggested I take writing more seriously, expressing my thoughts on paper.? She told me to place ink stains on paper by writing about current events in the Caribbean.? I wrote articles that many writers shied away to avoid political victimization. ??I started carrying a notebook and at every chance that I got, I jotted down words to a poem.? My poems were always “uncut”, because my brain thinks, and my fingers move. I never held back on expressing my feelings or thoughts.? ?By 2001, after I had travelled to many continents and other countries, I had gained much experience in business management training which prompted me to start hosting mini business seminars on countries within the Caribbean, from the Bahamas to Barbados. I then discovered that I could write business plans.? My first successful business plan was written for a client who was seeking financing to purchase a boat to start the Antigua to Barbuda ferry service.? The rest was history and 23 years later, I have written business plans for new resort developments, start up businesses and business restructuring.

I have concluded that my happiest moments are when I write, and I have gotten to the stage in life where I can create a poem within a few minutes and the reader(s) would complement my art of bring words to life. My shirt stories have always captured my readers causing them to ask for more. Over the years, my ability of telling a story or pushing an agenda have been sought by individuals, politicians, corporations and entrepreneurs who want to get their ideas or dreams across, whether it is to a financial institution, a grant donor, investors or their board of directors.

In 2018, I became a member of Dominichen Poetic Circle (DPC), a group formed by Dominican Poets. You can find my poems under “DPC – Jay Doway”. In 2019, Amazon carried a copy of my book of poetry entitled “My Written Journey”?

I am a strong believer in faith and the fact that God has a purpose for our lives.? Obviously, we have to complete whatever task he assigns to us and I know that my task, my mission is to educate through my writing.? Over the past 50 years, I have gained a vast amount of knowledge in business management.? I worked in aviation, hotel management, banking, construction project management and business consultancy.? I gained leadership skills as an airplane pilot, worked as an apprentice architectural and structural designer, junior accountant and hotel/resort manager.? I am proficient in writing: articles of incorporation, business plans, grant proposals, content marketing, expressions of Interest for construction bidding and request for proposals.?

Over the years, I have prepared training manuals for hotel front office operations, standard operating procedures for businesses, customer service par excellence, newsletters, technical reports, company profiles and business risk management procedures.

Some of my unpublished manuscripts includes Agriculture as a business and Raw Existence (romance novel)

So basically, I am versed at magazine and newspaper journalism, web content editor, staff writer, poet, ghost writer, freelance writer, researcher and business development writer. ?With the assistance of the right proofreader, I have continued to be at my best.? Recently, I was commissioned by both Inter-American Institute for Agriculture (IICA) Saint Lucia and the Food and Agriculture Organization, I presented and prepared a full analytical report concerning the Capacity Building in Export Readiness.? That training presentation was geared towards Medium size Micro Enterprises (MSMEs). Serving also a guide for improving their business.

Finally, as a self-made writer, I draw my inspiration from various sources, which can include my own life experiences. In some cases, I blend imagination with character and observation, crafting plots that resonate with my lifestyle.