I found a group of bloggers that write. …This statement sounds kind of ridiculous because that’s what blogging is…But these people write stories. And I was asked by Mr. Jon to share about my writing. At first I was intimidated for two reasons. Number one: I love to write, but I don’t consider myself very good anymore. It’s funny. College kind of dumbed down my writing. I look back on what I wrote in Jr. High and High School, and sometimes I’m blown away that it came from my pen! Or if I only vaguely remember writing it, I google it to see if I copied from someone else. Which has never happened, but is always a possibility in those “searching for myself” Jr. High days. In my college Elementary Education program, I feel I was almost discouraged from feeding any creativity into my writing. Just write the facts. Although I did try to practice more creative writing when it came to taking standardized writing tests. If only I had copies of the wild stories I made up just to keep from going insane. (I’m not a fan of standardized tests, even as an educator myself. So I have banned all standardized testing from my preschool class.) Reason number two for my intimidation was a comment I heard recently. When asked how he felt about authors like Stephanie Meyer and J.K. Rowling, Stephen King stated, “The difference between Stephanie Meyer and J.K. Rowling is that J.K. Rowling can write.” …I happen to have enjoyed both the Twilight Saga and Harry Potter. I guess my judgment on writing is based on how much it captivates me when I’m reading. And only once have I read a series of books where I thought the writer wasn’t as talented as most. However, even with that series, I’ve heard of numerous people really enjoying it. Anyway, I am not a critical person and wish others weren’t either.
But then tonight happened. I’m least intimidated and most clear headed when my insomniac tendencies kick in. I became an occasional insomniac in college. As I’ve grown older, a typical night for me is to fall asleep, wake up a few hours later, and lie wide awake in bed. In college, I’d use this time to study and found that I’m most aware of my thoughts at this time. There are no distractions. Of course, this was acceptable in college because I could take a nap during the day. But now, if I have too many nights like these, I have a hard time chasing my preschoolers around during the day. I try really hard to fall back asleep during the school year, but summer vacation welcomes my sleepless nights so I can write!
Okay. So here it is. My writing. Or I guess I should say, a history of my writing.
Let’s start at the beginning.
Above you will see my “girnool” from kindergarten and 1st grade. (My spelling has unfortunately not improved since then…nor my handwriting…)
Early poems…The top I remember writing in church and thinking it was really funny. This is the first thing I ever remember writing and I felt quite a sense of accomplishment. The bottom poem does not make sense, but I remember trying to be like Anne of Green Gables. She spoke a poem in the movie, and I just wanted to sound like her. So I wrote it and walked around my yard reading it like I was Anne.
And finally, you’ll find a riveting tale of having to move seats in class. Traumatizing, I know!
Throughout the years, I have always been a writer. I’ve always had a HUGE imagination, and I spent so much of my free time in grade school and Jr. High writing stories about being a princess or living on a deserted island. Here is some of my writing from those years:
And then I have the diaries…
Like I said before, college tried to kill my imagination in writing:( I had an idea dry spell for about six months after college. Then in a desperate plea, I cried out, “God! I just want to write! Please give me something creative and exciting to write about!” And the result… is in this notebook…(cue choir of angels).
That’s right. Five Star. This notebook contains a story I’ve been working for about a year now. It’s details came after my prayer from a lesson I was teaching a third grade class about outer space. And right then and there, I said aloud, “What if…..!” And my mind has been planning and plotting ever since. Most of my hesitation in actually writing too much of it has been who to write it for. Children? Young Adults? Older adults?…nah, too boring. Finally my fiance and biggest supporter said, “Lyndsay, just write it for yourself. Who cares what others think about it?”
Ta da!!!! Magic! Andy’s comment made me realize that I need to write like Little Kid Lyndsay again. When I was growing up, I never cared what anyone else thought about my writing. And I wrote and wrote and wrote. Maybe adults become scared to write because we care too much about the opinions of others. When it really doesn’t matter.
Therefore, I hereby create the new genre of Lyndsay. It’s a genre characterized by fascinating plotlines and love stories that always end happily. Main characters will be a lot like me: enthralled with nature and determined to make the most out of life. My genre may not be of interest to many others, but it will captivate me as I write it, and I refuse to write anything else! And when Stephen King says it’s terrible, I will laugh in his face and say, “You may have millions of dollars, but I have happiness!” Hahaha!
That’s all…time to try sleeping. Pre-K graduation is on Thursday! After that, bring on the sleepless nights!
“Really, Lyndsay? Did you have to wake me up with the sound of your camera?”
