In high school there was a teacher who encouraged me to write. She said I had a gift. I always loved to write the essay part of tests and see just how far my bullshitting abilities could take me. It seemed at the time they took me pretty far. I had no clear direction in life at the time so I thought I'd go on to college, I had nothing else going on, and I would become a journalist. I figured if this teacher saw potential in me in this area then maybe she was right, no one was paying attention to what I was doing except her.
Onward I go and start all the necessary classes and my parents ask me what I am going for. Never ever tell....I made that mistake. My mom talked me out of it completely. I wanted to go into journalism. I could see myself traveling and covering stories and the like, but I knew I wanted to write. Unfortunately for me I am a parent-pleaser wanna be. I let my mom talk me out of it and didn't follow my young heart. Life got in the way on down the road and I never looked back until I found gather. It was the best thing that could have happened to me. I really didn't try to write well or profoundly but it did get me writing again and started the juices flowing.
I still don't think I will wind up a professional writer, but at the very least the creativity is coming back and I'm feeling the power of the written word creeping up on me.
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Comments: 27
As far as your dream of being a journalist...why not now? You're still going to get older no matter what you do, why not go back to school and get that degree, you still have many years of life left to do what you've always dreamed of doing.
Get yourself a copy of 2008 Writer's Market, pick out some magazines or journals you think you'd like to submit to, and write write write. You don't need a degree to get started. Don't be afraid of rejection; it happens to us all. Do watch your spelling, grammar and punctuation. And you'll make it, if your ideas are any good at all.
Gather has given me that. I used to do a lot of writing for the feminist newspaper here but that doesn't exist anymore. Sometimes I write articles for the community newspaper, but only about what I want, when I want.
On Gather I can and do write more often.
God be with you.
That you write things we enjoy reading can only make it better.
I enjoyed this true story about youself.
SORRY
good for you!! a great article, and so many relate! I went down all kinds of roads before I got to writing. what matters is that you are there now, and your journey is wonderful, interesting material. use everything. and keep on. hooray for you. great work.
Have you tried writing bits of your life yet?
Whole passages of time can be very interesting when you go back and write it down as you saw it--as it affected you.
I enjoy what you write very much!
I was talked into CHEMISTRY.
Have you guessed yet that I'm a college drop-out?
I so relate...
A dream is not over until you quit dreaming, Danielle. So tell me, what do you want to be when you grow up?
I refuse to grow up until I get there. ;-)