The Writer In Me

November 28, 2012 by Debb Stanton 5 Comments

I guess I’ve always had a writer gene in me, even as a young child, but I wasn’t aware of it at the time.

I wrote what I was thankful for as a second grader – with printed crayon script into the inside covers of my Bobbsey Twins books.  (Certainly not the way I treated books later on!)

I never could understand why my best friend Cindy wasn’t able to imagine her cat with ski boots on like I was inclined to do.

When I was 12 years old I started my first “book”.  I wrote on both sides of 5.5 sheets of typewriter paper, then I gave up.  But the seed was there…

Fast forward to January 2009, to the beginning of my two year on-line writing course.  The prof said that when you’re a true writer, you eat-breathe-sleep-live your craft.  Although I was impressed with that statement, I didn’t see myself as fitting into that situation.

Then August of 2009 came along, and I was dumbstruck upon receiving my breast cancer diagnosis.  [Previous history:  when my father died in 1991, I remember not being able to pick up a book and read, which was totally a part of my former loves and capabilities.]  Likewise, when I had cancer, there was a long, dry stretch during my cancer that I couldn’t even look at my computer – unless I was at work, in which case I did have to use a computer.    I let my prof know that I needed an extension for all my assignment deadlines, and he had me write to the registrar.  She informed me that they would allow me to take 6 months off where I wouldn’t be penalized with late fees.  My friends were livid that I had such a short respite.  But, by the end of that time I was able to write again.  I started a blog similar to having a Caring Bridge site, so I could inform people of how it was going.  Blah.  No pleasure on this not-WordPress-site, and I knew nothing of tagging my posts and no real support forums to use like here at my beloved WordPress.  My cancer recovery blog went the way of the autumn leaves turning colors and then dying.  I didn’t want to blog anymore.

NOW the writer in me has come to the fore.  Now I can understand how a person can eat-breathe-sleep-live their writing.  It is the only thing in my whole life that has let me skip a meal or meals in favor of doing something else.  I get blessedly lost in the word action and planning and executing and everything else.  In my head, I travel all over the world and in real life think about my writing projects constantly.

What has your writing journey

English: penulis = writer (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

been like?  Whatever your journey has been or where it takes you, I’m behind you all the way.