Writing is a Noun, Not a Verb

I told you a little about my personal story last week.
 
This week, I'm going to tell you just a little more so you can understand identity.

For some of us, writing is not just a verb, which is something we do.  For a very few of us it's a noun—a thing—an identity we must embrace.

Wide-eyed and wonder-filled

As far as I can remember, stories and poetry have always lived inside of me.  The moment I learned how to release words on the page, I did.
   
At the ready age of 9 or 10 I was actually writing, illustrating and binding my own children's books out of printer paper and manila folders.  And I still have those books somewhere...

I also still have stacks of spiral notebooks of poetry—horrible, simplistic poetry—from the heart of child who thought the world revolved around rhymes and roses.

Not that rhyming or rose poems are bad.

During my teen years, the only thing I knew for certain was that I had to keep writing no matter what.  I didn't know any other way to express myself or my creativity.  

And write I did despite the fact that no one understood me.  Writing released my emotions in such a positive way counseling never could.

Reality packs a punch

Then I stepped into grown-up world of pursuing a career in college.  Reality hit me like a hard punch in the gut.  

The harsh voice in my head insisted that I put away childhood fantasies and look logic dead in the face.

Sadly, towards the end of college life, I chose practical over passion. 

It wasn't an easy choice.  However, teaching guaranteed the rent would be paid.

When college life came to a close, so did my outlet.  So did my dream.

Even still, for years, I continued to write here and there just for fun.  However, I was writing less and less.  Gradually, the words diminished as did my motivation to release them on the page.

Eventually, I buried my talent in the ground.  For twelve years.  

Then there was nothing but struggling and silence.




Something was missing

My biggest problem was that I was not fully embracing who I was meant to be—my identity as a writer.  I didn’t know my full purpose in life.  I excused myself from my calling due to my other daily obligations—school work , job, family.

Because I knew something was missing, I searched for ways to fill the void.  I volunteered at church, changed careers several times, and even started a family.  Even though many of these things brought me joy, still something wasn’t quite right.

Embracing my identity

After shelving my dream for so many years, I finally turned a corner.

I discovered a conference called the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers' Conference.  A conference is like going to a really intense school for a few days to learn about writing and connect with other writers, agents, and editors. 

I had also read a book that confirmed who I was as a writer:  Story Trumps Structure by Steven James, my all time writing hero.

As soon as I began connecting with other writers like me and learning to improve my craft, something happened.


The dam burst.

A geyser of dormant ideas laced with passion blew open.  Stories started dancing within me.  Poetry began singing to me in quiet times of reflection.  Words demanded to be released.  Daily.

Recently, I’ve made a choice, promising myself that despite the cost, I will never, ever look back. 

Now I’m running with it because I am a writer.  

Because of my experience, I am here to help you find it and embrace it as well.

It’s your turn

Tell me below a little bit about yourself. 

How do you feel about yourself as a writer?  What do you like to write?  Who are your writing heroes (favorite authors)?  What is your biggest writing dream?

Getting Started is the Hardest Thing to Do

I always tell my students the hardest thing about getting started is staring at the blank page.

So true.

Since we're just getting started, I guess the best place to begin our journey is to understand what this blog is about and a few rules for "netiquette".

A little About Me

I've been a high school English teacher for 11  years and a writer for life. 

You see, when I was a teenage writer, I had no one that understood me as a writer.  I also had no idea where to publish any of my work, nor did I have any tools to improve my writing outside of my English classes.  My love of writing dwindled because I had nothing to help me go anywhere.

My hope is that will never happen to you.

Out my own experiences and my passion for helping young people find their writing identity, this blog has been born. 

How do you know I can help you?

I'm glad you asked. 

Several agents have expressed interested in my novel-in-progress, but it's not quite finished yet.  Even though I haven't been published, I have recently won awards for poetry and flash fiction.

I was the co-editor of a literary magazine in college that published some of my poetry.  I've read several books on writing, attended conferences on writing, and joined several writing organizations, one of which is nationally recognized. 

The reason I surround myself with experts on writing and experienced authors is that they have done what I want to do--which is get published one day.  Lastly, I am currently teaching creative writing to the best group of student writers I could ever have.  :)

I'm living my dream and embracing my identity.  And I'm here to help you do the same.

Does all this make me an expert?

No way.

Even though I may not have all the expertise or answers, what I do have I want to share with you.

What are the rules? 

1.  Be kind.  Treat others (including me) the way you would like to be treated.  Make all comments and questions respectful.

2.  Be classy.  Profanity shows a lack of creativity and class, and it's not appropriate for this blog.  If you can't think of an alternate word, then don't say it.

3.  Be creative.  Share your ideas and questions.  If you find a cool website for writers, let me know!  This is a safe place for you to get feedback.

What can you expect to get out of this blog? 

1.  Community.  Find other writers your age with whom to share your writing and receive feedback.

2.  Inspiration.  Find encouragement and idea-starters to help you keep writing.

3.  Tools.  Find useful tools to improve your writing and potential outlets to get published.

Are you ready to get started?

Tell me what you would like to see on this blog to help you grow as a writer.  I can't promise you I will be able to implement all the suggestions, but I welcome all of your ideas. 

Write your comments, suggestions, or questions below to help me make this blog most helpful to you.