A storyteller from the beginning

When I was in second grade, my teacher asked each of us what we wanted to be when we grew up. Most girls said they wanted to be a ballerina or a teacher. Most boys said that they wanted to be a policeman, fireman, or astronaut. When my teacher came to me, I proudly proclaimed that I wanted to be a writer. All the other kids looked at me suspiciously. What a weirdo!

When I was able to write more than simple sentences, I began writing stories. I illustrated them with hand drawn images. None of them survived into adulthood. But I do remember a few of them.

Of course, life goes on and interests change. I still enjoyed English class the best, especially for creative writing lessons. However, I pursued other goals. Nevertheless, creativity was the spark in my life that made it all worthwhile.

Over the years I had many ideas for stories. I was particularly drawn to children's stories. Maybe it was because I love the artwork in picture books. Perhaps it is the parable quality of these stories. I have longed to create my own children's books. It wasn't until 'I lived away from my home that I had time to indulge in writing.

The lightbulb moment for me was during a watercolor painting class when one of the other students told me that my paintings look like illustrations for children's books. This was the epiphany for me to reexamine my earlier interest in writing.

Of course, much like pottery, this endeavor was much harder than I expected. Challenge accepted!

Keep following your dreams...

Diane