My Journey to Writing

     I am a writer. I have been since I was seven and entered in a short story contest. It was probably only 290 words long. Only a few paragraphs, I had taken the time to think out a story, type it up, and edit it. It took me a few days. But the story was mine, and I couldn't have been prouder.

      When I  was nine I rewrote a new version of my first story. It was 1,300 words long and I was amazed at how much I liked it. I wrote two more stories independently, and several others for school.

     When I was ten or eleven I got a book called Story Starters, this was one of the best things that could have happened to me. It gradually helped me to increase my skill in writing and before I knew it I was pretty good at writing.

      At the same time I was beginning to read more types of books. I had always loved to read but I began spreading out in what genre's I was reading. I read the Pirates and Faith Series, and liked it. I read Radialloy from the Firmament series and liked those too. Then I read my first fantasy book. Truth from the Makilien Trilogy. My mind was literally blown. I had never read fantasy, (unless you think of the Narnia books as fantasy, I tend to think of them as more fairytale-ish.) I liked it so much I read the book for six hours straight and finished it a few days later. Very rapidly I finished the rest of the series. I had never liked any books so much. The Makilien Trilogy set off my desire to write. For years I had liked to write but I had always thought being a writer would be boring. Without realizing it for years I had been growing in and nurturing my writing, but the Makilien Trilogy set off my conscious desire to write.

Then, last year ago, I decided to participate in Jr. NaNoWriMo. From June to November I developed my ideas and cultures in my journal. When November came I jumped in head first. With help from cranberries covered in chocolate and LOTR's movies I wrote 30,003 words. I had a nearly a third of a novel written.

     Ever since I have worked on and off on my book. Added and additional 10,000 words over weekends and evenings. I have tons more ideas, plot twists, and character developments. I have ideas for a whole series and even since last November have grown in my writing. I am planning on doing NaNoWriMo again, only this time I am going to try 50,000 words.

      One thing I am realizing  as I recap my journey to writing is that God was working in my writing even before I realized I wanted to write. I am a writer. I like to tell stories, why? Because when you write stories, when care deeply about them, you put yourself into the stories. When other's read those stories they relate to them in some way or another. They can feel you in the stories. Stories are like magic, they work in peoples hearts, sometimes without the person even knowing it. When I write, I create my own world. I have the ability to put in subtle or loud messages. I have the power to connect with a person's heart. That, in my opinion, is one of the most powerful thing in the world. Someone who can connect with one of the deepest parts of you is someone who can change the world.

      This is my journey. In life and writing I am growing, maturing, and becoming more of what I need to be.  If you take a look at your own journey you may find that there was more going on than you thought. ~Soli Deo Gloria.