The Writing Lane
Providing the Words that Put You on the Path to Success
“Sometimes
you are the last to know,” said Janice Lane Palko,
owner of The Writing Lane, a professional writing
and editing service. “I think I was always a
writer, it just took me a while to figure that
out.”
Always an avid reader, Janice was the kid who
actually liked writing essays while in school and
was the go-to-girl when the class was working on a
group project that needed a writer.
“I remember writing the sixth grade Christmas play
and my senior class skits because no one else in my
group would do it,” she said. She was also
president of her high school’s Writer’s Honor
society and parlayed an essay she wrote for the
club’s literary publication into a dramatic
monologue that won her a spot as a contestant in the
North Hills Junior Miss Pageant.
“I lost. Dramatic monologues just aren’t as
interesting as baton twirling.”
It wasn’t until she was married and raising
her children that she appreciated and began to hone
her talent. “My mother saw that there was a woman
speaking at La Roche College about writing greeting
cards. My mom said to me: ‘You should go. You
could do that.’”
From Greeting Cards to Reader's Digest
Janice attended the session and came home and began
writing greeting cards. “I sold one of the first
verses I wrote, which was very exciting,” she said,
“and I still continue to write captions for Palm
Press.” But she felt compelled to branch out. “I
began writing articles and submitting them to local
and national publications. “I was hired as a
columnist for the North Hills News Record,
and I’ve had numerous articles printed in
publications such as The Reader’s Digest,
Guideposts for Teens, Woman’s World,
The Christian Science Monitor, The
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and The
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,” Janice said.
Her works have also been featured in A Cup of
Comfort for Inspiration and A Cup of
Comfort for Expectant Mothers, and Chicken
Soup for the Single’s Soul.
A professional writer for more than 15 years, she is
a virtuoso in all fields of writing from greeting
cards to web content to columns and novels. She is
currently the executive editor Northern
Connection magazine, where she also contributes
to the editorial content on a monthly basis. “I also
freelance for Krol Media, writing press releases,
articles, biographies, etc., and I’ve written many
of the articles on Popular Pittsburgh,” she said and
then laughed. “I’ve learned so much about
Pittsburgh while writing for Popular Pittsburgh, I
hope someday they make a trivia show about
Pittsburgh, because I’d clean up!”
Helping Others Express Themselves
In addition, she has taught classes at Community
College of Allegheny County- everything from
Building English skills to creative writing to
memoir writing. “I had a student from China once,
and he was so confused by ‘Pittsburghese’
particularly the word ‘nebby.’ He came into class
one day perplexed and said ‘This word nebby? I
can’t find in my translator or in the dictionary.
What is this nebby?’ Fortunately, since I’ve lived
here all my life and have written a piece for
Popular Pittsburgh on our colorful language in
Pittsburgh, I was able to explain it to him.”
A graduate of Union Institute & University with a
B.A. in Writing & Literature, she has won several
awards for her writings including the prestigious
Amy Foundation Award. Her writings have also
garnered accolades at the Kent State Writer's
Conference, and she has been selected as Writer of
the Month by Oatmeal Studio greeting cards.
“I simply love to write, and I love to help others
to express exactly what they are trying to
communicate. That’s why I started The Writing
Lane. That and the fact that people kept asking me
if I would write for them,” Janice said. “Sometimes
it’s difficult to ascertain what a client wants,
especially when I don’t know my clients very well or
have never even met them. But I’m usually very
perceptive and sense what they want- sometimes even
before they do,” Janice said.
If you are interested in engaging The Writing Lane’s
services, visit the website at
www.thewritinglane.com or email Janice at
thewritinglane@gmail.com.
A Novel - St. Anne's Day
Janice also enjoys creative writing and plans to
independently publish her first novel entitled, St.
Anne’s Day, in the coming year. “The novel is set
in Pittsburgh- Lawrenceville to be precise. It is a
romantic dramedy, which, while hysterically funny is
also heartwarming and deals with some serious
issues.”
“My great-great grandmother operated a bar in
Lawrenceville over a hundred years ago. While not a
historical novel, stories about her inspired this
book.”
To read more about Janice’s’ creative ventures,
visit the website at
www.JaniceLanePalko.com, where you can read a
sample chapter of St. Anne’s Day and sign up to
receive her emails so you can be the first to know
when St. Anne’s Day is available.
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