First, I don't like to read. I thought if I started putting my stories on paper for a YA audience it would be easier than writing for adults. I was wrong.
The most awkward question I get is from gushy excited readers who ask "What books inspired you as a child?" I have to admit that I did not read as a child unless it was absolutely necessary. The first sentence in each paragraph sufficed through high school.
I imagined stories when I was meant to be listening to my teachers. The thought of chasing words around a page in order to learn about someone who had no relation to me did not interest me. Had I been in school, in the right district, 30 years later, I might have been diagnosed with a learning disability and maybe life would have been different.
I soldiered on, personality first, to earn my BA and two MA's, ran for the U.S. House of Representatives at 40, served in DC as the White House Liaison at 50, completed a PhD at 60, and started writing YA fiction at 70.
Turns out, I'm smart and I thank God for Audio Books.
Books; Twisted Cross (2020), Women Seen & Heard (2019)
Your story is inspiring on so many levels. You prove that anything is possible as you stepped up to the plate in ways I'm sure you never imagined. And as a HS English teacher, I know you as a student. When I had a student who was struggling and feeling inferior, I shared stories like yours in the hope they would not give up!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the compliment. Thanks also for your work as a understanding teacher. Anita
ReplyDeletePresence versus Control
ReplyDeleteCalled to the side of an ailing friend, I practice being aware
without assessing, planning, or managing.
My life is defined by doing; anxiety to accomplish this last task clouds my senses.
Simply being present is a meditation undertaken in the midst of saying goodbye,
one breath at a time.
Anita ... thanks for your poetic thoughts. "Simply being present" ... one would think that would be simpler, yet it's a constant challenge. Hoping your friend is well.
ReplyDelete