Monday, February 13, 2012

Origins Blogfest

D.L. Hammon over at Cruising Altitude 2.0 is hosting a new blogfest . . . the Origins Blogfest. Those of us participating are supposed to write about how our dreams of becoming a writer began. So, here's my story . . . 

As a kid, my dream was NOT to be a writer. In fact, I never even considered it. Instead, I dreamed of being a ballerina, a marine biologist, a photographer . . . a superhero. A resistance fighter during the alien and robot invasions.

I dabbled in a lot of different interests, trying to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up, all the while carrying a notebook where I wrote down story ideas. I was always making up stories. I blame my mom for that one; whenever we’d be out running errands or eating at a restaurant, we’d invent wild stories for the ordinary people around us. You’d be amazed at the number of spies we encountered. And runaway princesses. Even a cylon or two.

I’m embarrassed to say that, though I began three different novels between sixth and eleventh grade, it still never occurred to me that I was writing. It was just an extension of the games my mom and I amused ourselves with. Stories were just . . . there. A way to keep a bored, only child entertained when my friends were too busy to come over and play.

Meanwhile, I continued to test out different skills, searching for a vocation. Ballerina was quickly nixed; I preferred soccer practice. Marine biologist, definitely not; I hated science classes.  Superhero . . . I still haven’t entirely ruled that one out.

I wasn’t until my senior year of high school that I finally comprehended the importance of the notebooks I was constantly scribbling in and thought, well hello. That my idols – J.K. Rowling, Mary Shelley, Madeline L’Engle – they, too, probably kept notebooks with mad scribbles and bits of dialogue. And so I decided that’s what I wanted to be when I grew up. If I ever do.


29 comments:

  1. Writer by day, superhero by night - what better way to spend your life!

    ReplyDelete
  2. You could totally be a writing superhero, kinda like Grammar Girl. I'd my t-shirts of you ^_^

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's been an interesting blogfest. There are an awful lot of writers out there (myself included) who didn't dream of being a writer.

    I'm with Annalisa... writer by day, superhero by night. Not a bad way to live.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love watching the neighborhood kids play superheroes, and princesses, and pirates, and whatever hybrid stuff they come up with (ya know: Peter Pan meets the Transformers) because it's sooooo much like what a writer does. We grow out of doing that stuff on the street (okay, some of us!) and move to putting it on paper. Makes me happy.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You never need to grow up and you can still be a superhero! :) My inner child still shines brightly and I occasionally wear a cape. Great story.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Cool story! Thanks for stopping by my blog! I love your background!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks for dropping by to read my blog. Us Hennessy's are always superheroes, just so's you know!! Sounds like you wrote way more than I did - those notebooks must be like gold to you now.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Great origin story - I see a lot of similarities to my own, particularly with the dabbling and the final year of high school revelations.

    ReplyDelete
  9. "A resistance fighter during the alien and robot invasions." Love this! If you need someone to fight with you let me know. ;) Great story.

    ReplyDelete
  10. That's awesome that your mom helped feed your creativity. Support can come any time from any place, but when it comes from a parent early in life it's usually a very good thing!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Congrats on becoming a superhero in the disguise of a writer. *wink*

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh my goodness! That's such a great idea! I love that you made up stories with your mother.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I always dreamed of being an author, but I went to school to be a teacher because that seemed so much more practical. Less risky. And I was shy -- except in front of children. (My brother and sister would probably add that I was also very bossy.)

    It took me a long time to come back to being a writer, but it was so worth it!

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a great story! I still have some of my old notebooks :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Good for you for figuring it out so early. I hope you'll be as widely known as Rowling.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love that you and your mom were always making up stories while you were out!

    ReplyDelete
  17. What about being a writer who becomes a reluctant superhero? :)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thank you for visiting and joining my blog. I just joined yours as well ;)
    Blogfests are fun! :D

    ReplyDelete
  19. You knew in high school? That's way ahead of me.

    ReplyDelete
  20. The good thing about being a writer is that you can be all of those things you dreamed about and more. That's the great thing about living in your head. And a writer never really has to grow up. Growing up can be such a hassle anyway.


    Lee
    Wrote By Rote
    An A to Z Co-host blog
    Twitter: @AprilA2Z
    #atozchallenge

    ReplyDelete
  21. "A resistance fighter during the alien and robot invasions."

    XD

    ReplyDelete
  22. Based on many of these comments, I can't help but think I should consider superherodom with renewed interest...

    ReplyDelete
  23. I'm an only child, too, and I think that definitely played a role in my love of reading and writing. As you said, when friends couldn't come play . . .

    ReplyDelete
  24. I can relate with your writer path. It's funny how we don't realize our destiny until it smacks you right in face. Cool origin story.

    ReplyDelete
  25. The accidental writer?! Funny how it was there with you all along, tapping you on the shoulder. Great ORIGIN story!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  26. Here from the Vampire Blog Hop. Good luck on your first novel.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I love how you became a writer without knowing you were already one!
    Great to meet you on this blogfest.

    your newest follower,
    Nutschell
    www.thewritingnut.com

    ReplyDelete
  28. A Superhero in training then.

    Awesome that your mom encouraged your imagination through storytelling! Oh, the places you'll go with that kind of support.

    Cool to *meet* your here in the Fest!

    ReplyDelete
  29. I am glad for visiting and joining blog. I just joined yours as well ;)
    Blogfests are fun!

    ReplyDelete