I realized I wasn’t like the other kids when I was eleven. I was quiet, shy, and stayed out of trouble. I had friends, but I didn’t really fit in. I preferred being by myself. I preferred quiet.
My fifth grade teacher assigned us to write a poem for a contest. She and a few other teachers would read them and select three to be submitted for publication. All the other kids in my class put together short pieces, the minimum length that had been assigned. It was simply homework to them. But not to me. Pages and pages of words and rhymes poured out of me. I had never felt so proud of something I created.
It was in writing my poem that I realized why I preferred the quiet. There were so many stories and characters running around in my brain that the noise and company of others could be deafening. I wanted to be in the world of my creation, where I was in control of everything. My characters said what I wanted them to say, and nothing happened without my permission. Writing helped me understand myself.
My imagination continued to grow as I got older, and writing was something I longed for. But there were some critics that caused me to doubt my passion. There were people who laughed and told me my stories were silly. As time went on, fear clouded my brain, and the stories stopped getting put down on paper. They stayed in my mind, where I could keep them safe and unharmed from the real world, protected from the opinions of others.
Fear kept the words from being written down, but the stories were still there, begging for a way to come out. Begging for a way to be told, to be expressed. I can’t fight them anymore, I have to let them out.
I’ve learned now that people don’t get to control how you see yourself. They don’t get a say in your passions, or in what you pursue. They shouldn’t be able to make you afraid to be yourself. But sometimes, it happens, even if it shouldn’t. Sometimes you’re afraid and you forget how to be yourself. And all it takes to bring you back is one simple moment. One simple moment to shift everything back into perspective, to make you ready for the future, to fight for your dreams.
I want to learn everything I can about how to be a good writer, so I can use the gift God has given me and let my stories see the light of day. I want to fight the fear and win. I want my true self to shine through my words. My characters deserve to have a voice and to be heard, and I want access to every tool I can get my hands on in order for that to happen. I don’t want to be afraid; I want to be a writer
One Word at a Time 
You can do it ! I have faith in you and your strength!
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I totally understand your desire to write stories & poems. I did that in elem school. It never went anywhere in high school. Follow your dreams. Your family & God will be there to support you. My daughter has had her fill of marriage, men & heartache. She is a complete loner now. Break Out, Be Bold & you will feel so alive! God will help make your dreams come true. I love that you want to feel free at last.
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