My Life Story
Hi. My name is Eddie Adelman… I’m a personal historian, writer and storyteller living in Belfast, Maine. Allow me to share with you my life story – in a nutshell.
Ever since I can remember, I was fascinated by stories. As a child growing up in New York City in the 1950’s, I wouldn’t go sleep until my mother or father told me a story. It didn’t matter how many times I’d heard the story before. It always felt like the very first time.
As a teenager, I remember watching the TV series, The Fugitive, because every week the story would take me to a different, faraway place. One week it was the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, the next week it was a truck stop in Arizona. Ultimately, though, it was the stories themselves that riveted me.
I attended Sonoma State College in California where, not surprisingly, I majored and graduated with a degree in English Literature. Whether it was the Greeks, Shakespeare, Dickens or Hemingway, I soaked up those classic tales like a sponge.
But deep down, I knew that college wasn’t the real world. I was hungry to learn about “life”. So, instead of pursuing a career with my degree, I decided to drive a taxicab in New York City for three and a half years.
Can you think of a better way to learn about life than listening to the stories of total strangers? Hairdressers, cellists, Vietnam Vets, cardiologists, chefs, mezzo-sopranos, crooks, circus performers – even celebrities like Dustin Hoffman and Judy Collins.
There it was… The “parade of life” just passing by in my cab.
At the age of 27, I settled in Portland, Maine, where I owned and operated a record shop for 24 years. It’s no coincidence that I chose a career path that put me in direct contact with the public, day in and day out.
But in my mid-forties, I got restless… I was ready to try my hand at something new. And, fortunately, that something new was writing. I certainly had enough material to draw upon.
So, in 1998 I started writing short essays in my spare time. Within a few years, I was writing a weekly column for The Portland Press Herald (Maine’s largest daily newspaper) and was a regular contributor to Maine Public Radio’s evening newscast. One of my radio essays won the “AP Award for Writing in Broadcast Journalism” in 1999.
During that period, I was also pursuing screenwriting and playwriting. It soon became apparent that if I was ever going to make it as a working writer, I needed to focus on writing full time. So, in 2001 I closed down my record shop and devoted myself exclusively to writing.
Two years later, at the age of 53, I sold my home, packed up my 93 Ford Escort station wagon and (of all things!) moved to Los Angeles to pursue the dream of screenwriting. Of course, the odds were a million to one against me, but I didn’t care. I had to scratch that itch.
I did have limited success, though. One of the screenplays I wrote was optioned twice. I also appeared on the Bravo Network’s TV series, “Situation: Comedy” for a sitcom pilot that I wrote in 2005. In addition, a one act drama that I wrote was turned into a short film and shown at film festivals.
But eventually LA wore me down… In 2007 I moved back to Maine and settled in the picturesque, Mid-Coast town of Belfast, where I’m currently at work on a novel. I’m also a business copywriter (sales letters, website copy, newsletters, etc.) and a journalist, writing magazine articles.
So, that’s my story in a nutshell.
Isn’t it time to tell yours? Not tomorrow. Not next year. But now!
Memories fade away… Stories live on forever.
You can contact me at…
eddie@tellyourlifestory.net
(207) 338-1122