I notice that you discovered your interest in writing in the eighth grade. It seems that one of the other commenters did as well. As it so happens, I also developed an interest in writing at about the same time. A particular teacher, who because it was a small school, taught English and other related subjects to both the seventh and eighth grades was quite instrumental in my developing a love of writing. I can still remember many of the special writing projects she assigned to the class, as well as the little one page "themes" assigned as "punishment" if she left the room and came back to find a junior high/middle school "riot" in progress.
In high school I took various literature and writing classes, primarily because I enjoyed reading and did fairly well at writing. In my sophomore year a little story idea popped into my head. I never wrote it as originally conceived, and never wrote it or anything based on it for an assignment. Yet about that time certain situations developed at home, and I realized that perhaps I could write the story, sell it, and help the family out of a bit of a sticky financial situation.
When I started, I was thinking "short story" as until then I'd never written anything longer than a few pages. Well, by the time I finished, I had what amounted to a full length novel. I set it aside, spent twenty-two years in the Navy, and over ten years back in civilian life before the writing bug bit me again. About four years ago, I ended up working an early shift and started reading again during my "lunch break." After I'd read several books, I got to thinking that I should revise the old story I'd written so many decades ago. As I went back over that story, I realized that it did indeed need to be revised. And now I'm starting on the third book in the series, and I've still not come close to the end of the original story.
Again, possibly as a parallel, I write because I enjoy it, and I dream of seeing my work in print and on the book store shelf. I find that I am also creating and developing a particular world, and perhaps unique to my writing, trying to keep that world and this world connected. While MONEY does enter the dream, I often would like simply to make enough to where I did not need to go to work every day and would be able to spend more time writing. Dave
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timeasmymeasure
So Many Parallels
Date: 2008-08-03 06:32 am (UTC)In high school I took various literature and writing classes, primarily because I enjoyed reading and did fairly well at writing. In my sophomore year a little story idea popped into my head. I never wrote it as originally conceived, and never wrote it or anything based on it for an assignment. Yet about that time certain situations developed at home, and I realized that perhaps I could write the story, sell it, and help the family out of a bit of a sticky financial situation.
When I started, I was thinking "short story" as until then I'd never written anything longer than a few pages. Well, by the time I finished, I had what amounted to a full length novel. I set it aside, spent twenty-two years in the Navy, and over ten years back in civilian life before the writing bug bit me again. About four years ago, I ended up working an early shift and started reading again during my "lunch break." After I'd read several books, I got to thinking that I should revise the old story I'd written so many decades ago. As I went back over that story, I realized that it did indeed need to be revised. And now I'm starting on the third book in the series, and I've still not come close to the end of the original story.
Again, possibly as a parallel, I write because I enjoy it, and I dream of seeing my work in print and on the book store shelf. I find that I am also creating and developing a particular world, and perhaps unique to my writing, trying to keep that world and this world connected. While MONEY does enter the dream, I often would like simply to make enough to where I did not need to go to work every day and would be able to spend more time writing.
Dave