I’m here to talk about writing. It should be noted that I do not have professional credentials to do so; I am not a published author or a professor. I am, however, a writer, an active and persevering one, and, on occasion, I have something to say.
I hope to be a published author someday, maybe not so very far from now, and a professor of Creative Writing. With of these goals and the three novels and many short stories I’ve completed, it should be evident that I think about writing quite a bit. I’m going to start an MA program in Writing for Young People in October, once I’ve finished my undergraduate degree, a BA in Psychology which I chose in large part hoping for it to help me write good characters. Do I sound obsessed yet?
I write young adult fantasy. This is the part of the conversation (if this were a conversation and not a monologue) wherein many people either say,
“Oh, so you write little kids’ books?” or nod knowingly and say,
“Like Harry Potter.”
Neither of these things is the case, I’m afraid, though I am a great fan of Harry Potter (and generally in favor of books for little kids). However, one of the real beauties of literature is that when a tsunami like Harry Potter comes along, it does not crush the competition, but opens people’s minds and bookshelves to that kind of work. Books are not like, say, car insurance, such that getting one means you have all you need. Readers read. It’s a wonderful thing.
Anyway, I plan to update this journal at least once a week with my thoughts on and progress in writing. It seems a little egotistical, even to me, but then, I read other people’s work about writing because the process itself fascinates me. Maybe other people will be interested in what I have to say about it, too.