When I was in the fifth grade I loved to come up with stories. I actually wrote an entire series on a group a super heroes who really weren’t that super. It wasn’t a very GOOD series or anything, but I really think that was foreshadowing of how my life would turn out.

In high school I continued to work on stories. It was mostly fanfiction, but every now and then I would come up with an idea for another piece that I would start on but never finish. I have a lot of unfinished pieces floating around in my room. Then when I started college I was going to be a teacher because you couldn’t live off writing. Then I changed my mind. Because I love writing. And I can’t see my life without it.

Fifth grade was a definite foreshadowing. I contribute a lot of thanks to the books I read, because without them I wouldn’t pursue this writing career.

Let’s get one thing straight though. When I say I love writing, I mean every form of writing. I prefer writing fiction, but my nose isn’t that far in the air that I wouldn’t write for a magazine or newspaper. Because writing is writing. As long as I’m doing it I’m happy.

I’ve had several people tell me in the weeks leading up to graduation that I should break the mold of careers and office jobs and just continue writing fiction and become a published author. Loved this advice, because, honestly, I would do it. But with the threat of loans hanging over my head, I really don’t have a choice. Right now. In the future who knows. I want to be financially stable first before I pursue this career of writing and being an author. But since I don’t have a job right now, what’s stopping me from writing fiction during the day while I wait for a response on my applications? One of my friends encouraged this by saying, “Promise me you won’t stop writing. I wouldn’t say this if I didn’t mean it, but I know you can do it.” Which is very helpful.

Isaac Asimov said it best:

I write for the same reason I breathe– because if I didn’t, I would die.