How did I make my first money from writing at 11?

What do you remember when you think of the 90s? I was a child in Istanbul, and I remember colorful clothes, seeing phones and computers very rarely, a time when everything was not as abundant as it is now, but more valued. While kids nowadays have access to endless streaming and programs, we had to wait for the one cartoon that would air on the one TV channel available to us. Huge computers. The planets and space homework I did with encyclopedias from the library before computers came into our house. I felt like a scientist at NASA. Some people looked at me and thought, “This kid is so smart. She will do great things.” I was lost in space, traveling between galaxies, looking at them one by one, Neptune, Uranus… I was mesmerized. Computers and mobile phones were slowly spreading in Istanbul. The computer had entered the homes of families with higher income levels earlier, and so had the telephone. Once, we were surprised to see someone talking on the phone in a public place. I remember asking: “Will we have a phone one day?” This possibility, which seemed far away then, soon materialized and became widespread. Eventually, everyone had a phone.

The golden age of newspapers

Another important detail was newspapers. In the 90s, when newspapers were in their golden age, everyone had at least one newspaper in their homes daily. There were even people who bought and read several newspapers. In the morning, you would go and get it, or the apartment caretaker would leave it in a small basket with bread and other necessities at the door of your flat. The bread would be fresh. Excitedly, you would start reading your newspaper at the beginning of the day to be informed about the world. Touching the untouched, brand-new newspaper pages was a source of happiness and joy. At the same time, newspapers and their supplements were vibrant on Sundays. There was a lot to read here.

At the same time, a different practice in Turkey was that newspapers offered products such as plates and pots in exchange for coupons. This later shifted to cultural products such as encyclopedias. For example, if you saved 50 coupons from newspaper X, you would go to the newsagent, and he would give you a cookware set. “Save 50 coupons, win a cookware set.” It was a detail that I smile when I remember it. I smile when I remember this detail. The memory of this detail brings a smile to my face. I couldn’t fully understand why we were saving coupons for cookware. Didn’t we already have a cooker? It took me a while to realize that newspapers brought home not only news but also hope in those years.

Being gifted

As a gifted child, I started writing and reading at five. I wrote my first poem at the age of seven and had small sketches written in the comedy genre at nine. By age 11, I realized I wanted to start a newspaper. I wanted to write, and I needed space. How could I do that? If you are a gifted child, you feel a bit lonely. From time to time, you feel disconnected from your environment. I constantly tried to use even the slightest expression space by writing, finding dance choreographies, acting, and activities not limited to the writing field. While my peers were playing games, I designed my dream newspaper. During this period, one of the popular television series (Ruhsar) was on . There was a main character in this series, and she was a wonderful woman with magical powers. In each episode, while many people focused on the magic and beautiful dresses of the attractive female character with superpowers, I was waiting for the adverts to be written, the creative texts to be found, and the jokes to be made by the copywriter character who works in an advertisement agency. He was my favourite character and I was far more entertained by his clever copy than by the main character’s dresses.

Our team and price policy

I went to my childhood friend who lived two floors above us. She had a printer at home, which was almost unheard of in Istanbul in the 90s. My ambition and her resources made the perfect combination. I told her I wanted to start a newspaper. She listened to me with great seriousness and nodded. I had found my business partner. We talked about all the processes and the pricing of the newspaper. Then I thought: I am a writer, an editor, and a distributor. I should get what I deserve. She understood me. This labor had to be worth something. How was I going to set the price of the newspaper? Current newspapers were sold for 50 kurus in those days. With the exciting Sunday supplements, it was sometimes more expensive. I set the price at 75 kurus.

Sports news and the crisis

We did everything except the sports section. Neither of us knew anything about sports, so I decided to start with a newspaper without a sports section. This was a critical decision I made as a publisher. The newspaper had to come out as soon as possible, so our readers would have to wait for the sports news / or they would have to get it somewhere else.

The five-minute revolution

We had an impressive first production round of 20 copies, which we were very proud of. We had printed text and copied out the accompanying pictures by hand. When I took this newspaper to my Teacher, he asked me a few questions and permitted me to sell my newspaper at school for 75 kurus. My friends also bought the newspaper. I was thrilled and proud. It was a critical moment when my Teacher allowed me to do this, and he handled my creative energy compassionately. He could have reacted differently; he could have been judgemental. He could have said it was too early to start a newspaper. And I didn’t stop there. I said, “Teacher, can you give me five minutes once a week?” “For what?” he said tenderly. I said I needed a space to express myself. Five minutes. He smiled. “Friday at the exit,” he said. “You’ll have five minutes after class. You can use that time.” In those five minutes, I was sharing improvised comedy sketches one week, dance choreography one week, and content on a topic I found important one week. Those five minutes were like my personal Instagram channel. In a world without social media, the value of those five minutes that my Teacher provided me was excellent. He was the person who opened my first space of expression. My own little five-minute personal Instagram.

The newspaper is over, but the story is not.

The newspaper didn’t last long. I am trying to remember precisely. The ink ran out, or my friend’s printer broke down. But it was a critical point in realizing a dream. Sometimes I think, maybe a copy of our newspaper is still around somewhere, long forgotten in a box or on a bookshelf. Who knows, if I find it, maybe one day I’ll come back with a sports section. But first, I need to understand sports a bit.