Some Are Born Writers...

     

     Some are born writers, some achieve writing, and some have writing thrust upon them (with apologies to Mr. William Shakespeare!).

     I was born a writer. By this I do not mean that I was somehow born with a latently superior talent for writing. Rather, writing was a passion from early on. As a young child, I chose to spend my pocket money on writing materials. My favorite stores were book stores (reading, of course, was my other passion) and stores that sold a rich selection of writing tablets, pens, and pencils. These were the days before laptops and other electronic devices, and I developed a love affair with the kinetic, organic feel of pencil skipping, scrolling and strolling across paper, filling the lines with word images. Later, even after I acquired my first typewriter, I continued to create my first drafts longhand for many years.

     My paternal grandmother, who was a far more discerning woman than many gave her credit for, and who I adored, frequently augmented my writing supplies through birthday and Christmas presents. Her death three months after my sixteenth birthday was a loss I still feel today.

     I was blessed to have parents and teachers who encouraged my writing efforts, and was eight years old when I began to engage in writing in a conscious, deliberate way. I was fifteen when my first poems were published. One way or another, I have been writing ever since.

     Not everyone comes to writing this way, however. For some the desire to write gathers fuel over time, like the building of a campfire, until at last a spark is ignited that catches and continues to burn brighter and higher as the flames continue to be fed.

     Still others are more or less propelled into writing as a necessary part of their chosen careers. They may come to it reluctantly at first, and then as skill and confidence grow, begin to develop an affinity for the craft.

     Each of these paths is a valid avenue to becoming a writer. To each individual who writes, the designation of “writer” is legitimately attached, no matter by what means she or he came there. To each of us falls the task of honing and practicing our craft, nurturing, stewarding and releasing the lyricism of the words we share with readers and fellow writers everywhere.