Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Beginnings

On Monday, a lot of the blogs I follow were involved in the Origins Blogfest. I don't join blogfests. I just don't have the time (or would that be energy?). But reading stories of how other people got started made me think about when I started writing.

I tell people I've only been writing for three years, but that's when I started writing my first novel. Actually, I think I fell in love with writing back in the 9th grade. I just never pursued it. Probably because all my other writing assignments were research papers – and I really hate research papers!

My 9th grade English class had an assignment to write a short story. Mine was titled "It Was One of Those Weeks", about a boy who has bad luck all week long.

Even at the age of 14 (oh my God – 40 years ago!!), I wrote from the male POV (apparently, I found it easier to write those then, too). It was a fun, humorous story. The teacher loved it. Some of the kids thought the dialogue was stiff, but if I had had someone read it ahead of time, I'm sure I would have fixed that before turning it in.

I loved writing that story – heck, I loved the story. I'm pretty sure I still have it somewhere, too (the fact I couldn't throw it out should have been a clue – but I never claimed to be THAT smart). Of course, if I went searching, I would end up spending (wasting) hours reminiscing over all my crap. And then, if I read it, I might be disappointed.

Maybe some things are best left to my memory.

10 comments:

Anne Gallagher said...

Isn't it funny what you remember, what you keep, and why you don't want to see it again. I do the same thing. There's so much stuff accumulated it would take days.

Stacy McKitrick said...

And when you have moved as often as we have, the stuff doesn't stay in the same place. Of course, it's been in the same place for the past 16 years, wherever that place is!

Thanks for stopping by, Anne!

Maria Zannini said...

LOL! I even have a title should you ever rewrite that first story. Bad Luck Boy.

Sometimes it's the kernel of the idea that stays with you--not the story.

Stacy McKitrick said...

Bad Luck Boy would work, too, but I was going for funny back then. I'm surprised I had a title at all. I find those are the worst to come up with!

The Happy Whisk said...

I would for sure read it and not be disappointed. There's no reason to be disappointed.

Hope you crack it out and give it a read.

Jennette Marie Powell said...

I started writing with the goal of publication about 12 years ago, but I have a couple of short stories and beginnings of novels from when I was in high school and college, where I minored in Creative Writing. I didn't know what it was at the time, but I started a fantasy romance back then that I'm sure I'll write someday - I don't think any printouts got saved, and even if I still had the disk, it was a 5-1/4" floppy! I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to re-read it now, because I know there wouldn't be anything usable there.

Stacy McKitrick said...

Okay, Whisk. Now I'm getting curious and I just might go searching for it. It's not like the room couldn't stand a good cleaning, anyway.

Jennette - I took creative writing in college, too. But they were so picky about how to write, I didn't enjoy it at all. Kind of took my creativeness away!

The Happy Whisk said...

That's fantastic. Why not? It's just all fun anyway at this point.

And I tell ya, finding my old manuscript is what I used as a skeleton for the book I recently wrote.

Had a blast with it.

DL Hammons said...

A bonus ORIGIN!! I love it! :)

Stacy McKitrick said...

Thanks, DL!