A Closet Writer Comes Out

     I was speaking with a close friend today for the first time in months, and bringing her up to date on what’s been happening in my life since the last time I saw her. This included school of course, and I suggested she might like to read my blog. “I never knew you liked to write”, “D” remarked. “D” has known me since I was three.  How is that possible? I thought everyone knew…perhaps I’ve kept it more of a secret than I realized. Now that I think about it, quite possibly a good number of my friends & family members aren’t aware. I believe it is time for me to come out of my “writer’s closet” and go for it. Better late than never, that’s what I say!  (I always was a late bloomer…).

     When I was in High School, it was apparent that I had a talent for writing, and my teachers recognized this, even if I didn’t. In Junior year, we had an essay to write for English class, and, being the consummate procrastinator even at that young age, I waited until homeroom that morning to hastily put something together. A classmate and dear friend of mine, “KW”, did the same thing (you know what they say about about birds of a feather????) Surprisingly, our teacher loved them both, so much so, that she named us Co-editors of the school newspaper for Senior year. That was quite a coup! We were thrilled beyond words (isn’t that dangerous for a writer?), and embraced the challenge with relish.

     Unfortunately I didn’t save that momentous essay, or many subsequent poems and essays that I composed early on. I can’t imagine why I would ever toss them, (and yes, I would kick my own butt if I could reach it with my foot) but I stopped being so silly in the early 90’s. I now have children’s rhymes, essays, and poetry everywhere. (This is scary, as I consider myself to be an organized individual). I can’t clean out my purse or a drawer without checking every piece of paper (this includes napkins & paper towels) before tossing it. (I don’t always have a pad at the ready when an idea strikes). It is a goal of mine, in the not too distant future, to have it all organized by genre, typed, and ready for submission. One of my favorite authors, Elizabeth Gilbert, suggests to aspiring writers that they not leave their work sitting in a drawer. I hear you, Liz !!!!!