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I am 35 years old and have been writing stories since I could hold a pencil. I write on anything that will hold an impression, at any time the inspiration strikes me.
My brother Will and I used to write comedy for skits that we'd perform for our family. Often in SNL-comedy news format with a sheet thrown over a board resting on two boxes. We were our own writers. We still riff back and forth from time to time. Comedy has very much been one of the essential fabrics of my makeup.
Ironically, I wrote a serious play when I was 15, and submitted it to a contest; I was rejected and got feedback that was crushing. They thought my play was intended to be comedy, when to me, it was the most serious thing ever. This was one of my few things that *wasn't* comedy! I stopped writing plays.
In college, I submitted poetry to contests, and never heard back. I wondered how they could possibly not like my poems, not even a little bit. But I never really considered myself a poet and only wrote poetry when the mood struck me. Usually when I was either depressed or in love. Oh, how deep. But since then, I've lightened up. It's still spontaneous, but doesn't take itself so seriously.
In college, I also wrote for our publications - the college newspapers, some of the journals we produced... but I never really felt that I was an integral part of the process. I didn't feel like I had a solid place there. I also wrote some for a women's neighborhood newspaper once I graduated. But I was an editor, so I felt it was more likely that I'd be able to publish my own stuff if I wanted to - not sure if that was actually true.
I continued to write my stories for myself. I always loved coming back to them - they were just what I wanted to read at any given time, and I was proud of myself. If I let them go for a long time and came back, unfamiliar with the story now, I'd fall in love with the story all over again. Writing was like eating dessert for me.
I also kept journals of what was going on with me, for years. And some story ideas. I have yet to go back and transcribe all of that. But I am sure that there's some good stuff in there. I have inspirations and rants and stories all jumbled in together.
And then the Big Thing happened. In 2004, newly-come to Boston from California, I had a falling-out of sorts with my mother - who used to be Our Biggest Fan - mine and Will's. I came to the realization that our relationship was not what I had thought it was. I felt like I was living on top of an earthquake, and nothing made sense. (Now we are growing back together, I think, but at that time, it was a big huge deal.) I stopped writing, pretty much altogether. I did not even realize that, though. I still thought of myself as an active writer, if that makes any sense.
I did not realize anything was really wrong until I met my current significant other, David. He casually mentioned what he thought my passion in life was, and it was not writing. I was shocked! How could he be so blind? How could he be with me and not know me?! And then I realized it: that I had gone underground, and indeed had not written for over a year and a half.
But David was part of my wake-up call in more ways than one. In finding him, and in discovering that each of us is so much of what the other wants and needs as a life partner, I began to realize that I *can* begin to have the life that I want, if I focus.
Now I am fanning my wrtiting flame with with oxygen, and I'm doing the things I've always been afraid to do. Here I am, on an authors' website, because I do belong. And I here I am, writing, instead of talking about getting back to it. Here I am, developing the discipline and determination it takes to do that work in spite of discouragements and distractions. And here I am dusting off my stories that I love so much and really being who I was meant to be. It's awesome.
If you want to contact me, just click on the link. Be warned, I am still a girl gamer and a girl geek, so I might ask you to play chess with me, or send you an article about the cool attributes of the element polonium. What's that got to do with writing? Well, it's a package deal. Don't mind it, it's just who I am!
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