I remember the first time I realized I like to write. It was Mrs. Kathy Dowdell’s 8th grade Language Arts class, and the homework assignment was to write a poem. I, as usual, waited till the last minute to do my homework and wrote a poem in about 10 minutes. Precisely because of that, I didn’t expect it to be all that great, but the next day when Mrs. Kathy asked who wanted to read their poem first I raised my hand and was the first volunteer. Much to my surprise, when I was done reading my poem, the teacher started clapping and told me it was really good. She told me I had a talent for writting, and I believed her. That right there was where this dream began.
Ever since that day, Ive looked for a way to make my writting known. It became one of my biggest hobbies, and i looked for every way possible to put what I wrote out there. I wanted people to read what I wrote, I wanted everyone to know what I had to say, and what I thought. Any chance I got I would write. I had found my way to express the mess that was my mind, and to put some kind of order into my thoughts.
There was also another reson why I loved writing so much; writing meant sharing something with my dad. He was also known for his writing skills and it made me feel closer to him, like I was more his daughter in a way, when I realized that I too could write. But then my teenage years came along, and the fights and disagreements with my parents happened. I remember being so mad at my dad one day, that I decided I’d stop writing. In my mind, this was a punishment for him. I would no longer give him that satisfaction of being proud of me and my talent, and of sharing that with talent with me.
I stopped writing as a hobbie during most of high school. I still did all the writing for any class asignment, and I asked to be the writer of any teamwork, but I stopped writing for the pleasure of it. All this time, I kept thinking i was punishing my dad, but I was really just punishing myself. I had let a part of myself go, and it was during senior year of high school that I decided I’d bring it back again.
College was the time when I really rediscovered my love for the written word. Once again I found myself writing any chance I got. I’d pour my heart out in every piece, wether it was school related or not. I once again looked for ways to write and make my writting public and known, but this time, the posibilities were much bigger. The opportunities I had to be published increased every day, since I kept meeting teachers and classmates and just people in general that could one day help me make this dream come true.
It wasnt until last semester that I finally started making this dream come true, little by little. After my Creative Sales class, my teacher, who worked at a local magazine invited another classmate and me to become part of the editorial board. Of course, I agreed to on the spot. I must admit at first I felt like I didn’t really know what I was doing. I loved to write, yes, but I knew nothing about editorials. After a few meetings and getting to know all the board members, I finally asked the editor-in-chief to give me a chance to write. She agreed.
Yesterday, for the first time, filled with a little fear of the unknown and a lot of excitement and eagerness for what’s to come, I sent in my first article to the editor. I finally found a way to get publshed, thanks to so many people who along the way kept believing in me and my talent, and that provided me the tools to achieve this. My words might be the ones going in print in a couple of days, but it was the effort and support of so many people that got me here. I have nothing but gratitude for those people.
-C.