I was about four years old when I received my first notebook. All I could really do was create wavy lines and pretend they were stories. I graduated to tiny pink squiggles, then moved on to simply writing the alphabet in random order, and during the sixth grade, wrote my first actual short story about a fairy named Tika.
By the time I reached college, I had written about two completed manuscript drafts, had dozens of ideas jotted down, and had no idea what to study in college. Did I have to major in English to become a full-fledged writer? More realistically, what else was I going to do until my writing career took off? To my utter surprise, I fell in love with teaching. I graduated with a double major in English and Secondary Education with a concentration in writing, a handful of short pieces from my writing classes, and another two manuscript drafts.
Since then, I’ve cultivated the craft of writing while teaching full-time. I have several short pieces published, attended my first ever writing conference, and reached the third (out of four rounds) of the international short story contest held by NYC Midnight. Writing is a juggling game: I’m querying a middle grade fantasy manuscript, revising a young middle grade contemporary fantasy manuscript, writing creative non-fiction almost daily, and studying writing whenever I can. Although my focus is primarily in young adult and middle grade, I also enjoy writing in different genres and competing in various short story contests to hone my craft.
I’m delighted to share my path with you and what I’ve learned. For more in-depth insights about writing, publishing, and my personal projects, sign up for my newsletter!
Until then, keep writing and living the dream!