We stumbled upon this inspiring story about a writer’s journey to fulfillment through http://www.elegantthemes.com. Writers need all the inspiration they can get, it’s a tough world out there and in the words of Tony Morrison, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”
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The Writing Muse Comes to Brooklyn
While there were many wonderful things about my childhood, the view outside my second-story bedroom window was not one of them: an entire city block of four-story red brick buildings with not an inch of space between them.
It was Brooklyn, before it became cool.
So I did what any sensible bookish girl would do: I escaped into stories. I read every book my family owned, began a lifelong affair with the library system, and when I met equally bookish Laura Tripoli just a few short years later in junior high, I began writing my own stories for others to read. Thanks to her, at 14 I discovered that stories are not just a way to escape life; they are also a way to create a community that makes life worth living.
There were five of us: Laura, Carrie, Dionne, Grace and me. All writing what would eventually be known as Star Wars fanzine fiction. While the heroes in George Lucas’s version had mad impressive skills, in our version Luke and Han came to our junior high school to ask for our help to save the galaxy from the Evil Empire. (I liked our version better.)
We wrote at night and on weekends, sharing our handwritten pages across the lunch table. At first our story lines were tightly interwoven, but eventually we veered off into our own adventures. I left Star Wars behind and moved on to Raiders of the Lost Ark, then James Bond, then TV shows, and eventually to original worlds of my creation.
Over the years I lost track of my childhood friends, but I still have the stories. They’ve traveled with me from apartment to apartment and across state lines.
Branching Out On My Own
After spending far too many years in a support role (aka “the secretary”), I eventually began to get hired for my writing skills. Except this time not for my skill in creating intergalactic adventures, but for my ability to break down complicated goobley-gook (such as health care or government regulations) so that ordinary people can understand their options and make informed decisions.
It’s not as exciting as writing a light saber fight, but it is rewarding work that makes a difference in people’s lives.
Eventually I realized that the best way to do more of what I like to do—aka help people understand their options/make great decisions/feel supported—was to go off on my own and offer my writing services to a variety of clients as a freelance writer.
What’s Next On My Radar
My top priority right now is to continue to grow my business. I also intend to carve out more time to write fiction again, a first love I have never forgotten. I can wax poetic about writing, but it comes down to this:
• I believe words matter.
• I believe learning to write is learning to live.
• I believe not everyone will want to read what you write so you might as well write what you want.
• I believe the truth is debatable.
• But most of all, I believe there is no cure for writing.
Written by Sonia Quinones.
Arrow Gate Publishing 