When I First Realized I wanted to be a Writer

This past week was an exciting time for my writing career. It started with the inspiring Author Talk at StoryStudio where I got to listen to established authors discuss how they found their agents and when they were first published.

On Wednesday Alison and I went to Laura Caldwell’s book launch party at Lizzy McNeil’s for her new book Red Hot Lies (Available now! I can’t put it down!). I finally got to meet Laura in person after communicating with her electronically, and also met a few other writers and agents.

Then yesterday I went down to the Printers Row Lit Fest and sat in on a few panels where authors talked about their writing processes and inspirations.

In all I bought 10 new books, and the inspiration to push forward with my novel intensified.

Being around all these writers, tied with a very productive writing week on my manuscript, I started thinking about the time I first realized I wanted to become I writer. I was in fourth grade at a new school after my parents decided it was a good idea to pull me out of a public one at send me to a Catholic one (they were wrong, but I don’t hold it against them). One day we had a children’s book author come and speak to our class. For years I never remembered her name, but I always remembered the name of the book, On the Way to the Movies. A boy in class asked her how you get a book published, and she simply said, “You write it, and you send it to the publisher, and if they like it, they publish it.”

Really? My nine-year-old self thought. That’s it? Just write it and send it and they’ll publish it? I could be rich and famous! I went straight home that day and started writing my first book. I don’t remember what it was about, but it was two or three pages on loose-leaf paper, and I remember thinking that if it got published it would be inches thick.

Later, I was outside showing a friend my story. I got distracted and left the pages on the hood of my father’s car. Inevitably he left to run an errand, and my very first story blew away. Gone with the wind.

I know longer wish to be rich and famous (hard to accomplish as a writer), but my desire to write never ceased. I wrote throughout grade school and junior high. I took a break from writing in high school to dabble in acting and drawing. I got back into writing in college when I was flipping through a Sassy magazine and had the sudden desire to become a journalist. After college I opted to go into advertising and set aside my writing goals to instead build a career that paid the bills.

Now, after fifteen unfulfilling years in the advertising industry, it’s time to take the risk and focus on my dream of becoming a full-time writer. After several attempts in the past, I really feel it coming together this time. This is what I was meant to do in my life. And that realization will keep me pushing forward until I finish.

I Googled On the Way to the Movies to see who the author was. Her name is Charlotte Herman and she still makes appearances at grade schools. I sent her an email telling her how she inspired me to become a writer. I may not become rich and famous, but I will become published.

How’s that for a positive affirmation?