My Elementary-School-Aged Brain

Guest blogger, Anne Greenawalt

Starting at age three, I used to sit on my mom or dad’s lap in front of the computer and dictate stories to them to type for me. A few years later, with some guidance on spelling and grammar, I learned to write my own stories. While helping my parents prepare for a garage sale this summer, I rediscovered these stories in their basement where they have been well-preserved for the past 20+ years.

I wrote about sporty girls who lived alone in the woods, and about playing Ninja Turtles at recess – complete with drawings of female Ninja Turtles wearing pink and yellow ribbons—and about a “house with many doors.”

I blush with embarrassment at the silly things I wrote, but more often than not I think, wow, where did that idea come from? I would love to sit down with my elementary-school-aged self and ask this question. At that time, I wasn’t concerned with publication; I just loved to write, so I did.

I always believed that if I wrote a really great story and pitched it to an editor who liked it, I would be a published writer one day. I believed the publisher would take care of all the marketing and promotions. I believed I could live comfortably for many years off the publication of one book. I believed that all I needed to be a writer was the passion and the knack for writing. I believed many things that are slowly revealing themselves to me as myths of the writing profession.

I don’t fault myself for this naivety. I can’t be expected to know everything about the writing business all at once, and if I did, it would take the fun out of the process. As a child, I didn’t suddenly know how to write one day. It was a gradual, trial and error process I developed with the help of my parents and teachers.

Learning about the business of writing is also a trial and error process that requires the help of many outside sources. I subscribe to writing magazines, attend writing workshops and conferences, and speak to as many writers as possible about their experiences and I enjoy every minute of it. The main lesson I’ve learned through these resources is this: writing isn’t the only skill writers need to be successful these days, but it is still the most important. There is no substitute for great writing.

Although I have had some short stories and magazine articles published, I will not feel like I’ve met my writing goals until a traditional publishing company picks up one of my novels, and I am working towards that. Until then, I am enjoying the process of writing and the process of learning about the profession. I enjoy the multi-faceted steps of becoming a published writer, but I do often take a step back and remind myself to tap into my elementary-school-aged brain and remember what it was like to love writing just for the sake of writing.

Anne Greenawalt graduated with an MA in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England. In 2008, she was runner-up in a short story collection competition, which resulted in the publication of her collection Growing Up Girl. She now lives in her hometown in Pennsylvania. More information on Anne and her writing can be found at www.annegreenawalt.com.

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