Dana Rose Bailey

Hi! My name is

I believe in the power of dreams and the power of grit. Each is useless without the other.


My dream started in elementary school; a combination of daydreaming during my hour long bus ride that I was a character on Fame and that everyone on the bus would start singing at any moment and from a seed planted by my teacher who said my short story about a panda bear losing his spots was the best. Being gifted with an active imagination and plenty of dreams at night, plus a compliment from a respected teacher gave me both the love of story and the grit I’d need to become a writer.


It’s not like both are with me every day. They need to be fed.


Every story needs to be nourished. I have notebook after notebook of story ideas. But I don’t write them down and forget them. I keep them active in my mind by recasting scenes, changing plot order, working different moods, sometimes running them by my co-workers.

Now I’m in writing mode again. Instead of working on a novel length piece, I’m devoting my time to short stories. Look for more to come!

BS, english
radford university
I majored in English mostly by default. I didn't declare until Junior year, by then I had taken so many English electives it made sense. Study what you like and you'll find happiness. 

Story Developing 

Having worked at a newspaper over 17 years, writing the Back Cover and proofing hundreds of ads, I'm well-versed in what content works. 

Education

Concentration, business Writing and media studies
radford university
After considering career choices like fashion designer, anthropoligist, speech pathologist, I settled on business writing. I needed to find a job when I got out of college.

Quick Facts

I may not be a spelling bee champion, but I know what makes a story work. Many writers can't see flaws in their work and need help with structure.

Age: Old enough to know better
HOMETOWN: NOVA
CURRENT HOME: SWVA
DEGREE: English
FAVORITE WRITER: Jodi Picoult

Professional Skills

​​and I’m a writer based in SWVA.

Professional Experience

Content Creation

Editing

I'd welcome the opportunity to mentor a new writer!

September 1999 - June 2018

About Me

Every author has their own way of developing a story, from pantsers to plotsters. All need encouragement and guidance.  

Author
Self published
the roanoke times
 a little bit of everything
  • Currently, I'm the digital advertising manager. 
  • I started in the circulation call center and worked my way up.
  • I've held positions in retail advertising, classifieds, obits, celebrations, digital.
  • I taught myself SQL, HTML, and CSS. Although, since I don't use them every day, I'm a bit rusty. 
  • I wrote The Back Cover book blog for the newsroom.​