In the summer of 1891 in Asbury Park, Crane worked as a reporter for his brother's news business. He also wrote sketches and tales in his spare time. After his mother died, Crane worked briefly in a commercial business and did some freelance writing while living in New York. In 1893, Crane spent his inheritance on publishing Maggie: A Girl of the Streets.
After The Red Badge of Courage was published in 1895, Crane's reputation as a writer was established. Crane, however, was not content to write without a new challenge, so he accepted a position with the Bacheller-Johnson Syndicate working as a war correspondent. Crane was sent to Cuba to cover a developing conflict between Cuba and Spain. The ship, Commodore, on which he set out for Cuba, sustained serious structural damage after running aground and sank. Crane's escape from the sinking ship by rowboat took a great physical toll on him. On the positive side, the experience provided him with the basis for the short story, "The Open Boat
Crane continued to work as a war correspondent, accepting an assignment from the New York Journal to cover a conflict developing between Greece and Turkey in 1897. Following his coverage of the Greco–Turkish conflict, Crane went to England, along with Cora Stewart (also known as Cora Taylor), who became his constant companion.
