Although this blog makes it pretty clear that I love nail polish, my passion for writing makes it pale in comparison.
Since a very young age, I gravitated toward the written word – the pen is far mightier than the sword.
Even before I learned how to write, my mom said that I used to scribble on paper and pretend that I was writing.
When I learned the alphabet in kindergarten and couldn’t read or spell yet, I was already playing around with the different letters at home.
Without any prompting or encouragement from my parents, I wrote down letters in different combinations at home. Then I’d show my made-up words to them and ask, “Is this a word?” Nope!
Then something amazing happened, and I’ll never forget it. One day, my mom looked at what I had written and said, “Yes, that is a word!” She was clearly as surprised as I was!
Anxious to find out what I had randomly spelled, I asked, “What does it say?”
“Family.” My mom said.
Sure, it could just have been by chance that I spelled that word, but I interpreted that as a special sign for me to always appreciate my family, even if there were many dysfunctional things about it.
Through good times and bad times, writing has always been my passive psychologist. It’s cathartic and creative. Even if I sometimes get writer’s block, I still enjoy the process of recording thoughts, whether it’s on paper or on the computer.
Elementary School
In the first grade, my teacher asked the entire class to keep a journal. We had 15 minutes to write anything we wanted each day. While many of my classmates complained about not knowing what to write and struggling to fill a page, I remember writing up a storm and complaining that we only had 15 minutes.
To put things in perspective, at the end of the year, I had completely filled over 15 school books for this journal assignment, whereas most of my friends managed to only complete 4 or 5 books.
Once I learned how to compose and read sentences, I went crazy! Haha, I would jot down thoughts all the time and read everything I could. Now those funny little symbols actually meant something, and it was like cracking an exciting code. Mind. Blown.
Seriously! When I say that I read everything, I mean it! It wasn’t just books. I’d also read everything on cereal boxes, packs of gum, the fine print in magazine ads, and instructions for pens.
There was a time when my brother seemed to always get fancy pens for Christmas and his birthdays from my grandparents and relatives. It was pretty funny because he didn’t, and still doesn’t, like writing at all.
I thought it was intriguing that there were people out there who were paid to write about something as basic as how to use a pen! Haha, I remember the instructions for one pen: “Twist the barrel counter-clockwise. The pen is now ready to use.” My brother was going to throw out the instructions, but I saved it in a shoebox with other little knick-knacks because I thought it was hilarious.
In elementary school, I once caught a guy staring at me in class while I was writing. When I asked him what was up, he said something like, “All I see is a blur when you’re writing. There should be smoke.”
I went through tons of pens and pencils in a school year. And it should come as no surprise that my favourite things to buy in preparation for the fall were writing instruments and lined paper.
Reading was also a passion of mine, and I tore through books like I was the literary version of The Very Hungry Caterpillar!
Then in grade 3 or so, our teacher gave us access to a huge table full of all different types of blank paper. I think I abused that privilege…haha, because nearly every single day, I’d put together my own books. Literally. I’d staple paper together, draw a cover, add a title, put my name on the bottom, and generally make it resemble a real, published book. I even had the arrogance to write an “About the Author” page where I often made up all my literary accomplishments. 😉 I’d even make up quotes from my favourite authors saying complimentary things about me like, “Mary handles words like a skilled acrobat. This is a must-read!”
High School
When I got to high school and learned how to write formal essays, it opened up another world. I really enjoyed using references to back up my ideas and support my thesis. Also, it was an interesting way to weave together many of the things learned in class while still adding your own thoughts to the mix.
It’s strange, but I always seemed to be in classes with students who disliked writing. I never met anyone who was as obsessed with writing as I was.
Writer’s Craft was a course offered in the final year of high school. Of course I enrolled!
While most of my friends often fell asleep in Writer’s Craft, I was on the edge of my seat because the teacher was probably the most inspiring English teacher I ever had. He was brave enough to share stories he had written himself! (Haha, I was such a nerd, but I remember jotting down some notes for myself because I learned a lot from his writing style.)
When he had finished reading his story, I he looked up and asked if we would like to hear another. I was the only person who answered, let alone who was awake! And I was disgusted with everyone else. How could you not appreciate his creativity?
This teacher had written some of the most original stories I had heard in a long time. I wish I asked him for a copy because I can’t recall them all now. One of them that was really quirky was about a universal conspiracy about where missing socks in the dryer go and where coins dropped in between sofa cushions wind up.
And that teacher had such an extensive vocabulary that I found myself jotting down at least one new word per class that I really liked and that I had never heard before.
He was the type of teacher I really respected because he didn’t just teach English – his writing was fit to be published! And he pushed us so hard. (I really like teachers who challenge you. It was in that class where, for my final project, I composed a screenplay that was over 40 pages long! I wasn’t just proud of the length, but also the plot. It was a psychological thriller that, even to this day, I want to flesh out.)
One day, a friend told me about something she overheard my Writer’s Craft teacher saying to another teacher about me. “Her name sounds like a writer’s name!” Let me tell you, I was on top of the world that day! I felt like someone handed me the moon with a compliment like that! 🙂
Even to this day, the compliments I take to heart the most are the ones about my writing. They make my heart skip a beat, and I feel like dancing or jumping up and down like a fool!
University
During university, my strength was definitely writing essays. Whenever I’d see essay questions on exams, it always made me feel relaxed, even if I had been nervous going into it.
It should come as no surprise that for most of my elective courses, I chose many English classes and ones that involved tons of reading and writing.
Despite being a psychology major, at the end of one of the English courses, my professor told me that I should write for a living! (Again, I wanted to jump up and down like a fool!)
Career
I ended up taking her advice. 😉 My first full-time job straight out of university was as a writer.
While still working for that company, I remember cracking open a fortune cookie at a restaurant. The message inside said: “You will become a successful writer.” It was the best fortune I ever got. I taped it onto my monitor at work for daily encouragement.
Life Goal
My life goal is to write a book and get it published. It’s been a dream of mine since I knew authors existed.
There’s one piece of non-fiction that I’m working on. It’s a humourous office-politics book about the type of people you meet in the workplace and how to deal with them. It has a cheeky vibe that isn’t meant to be taken seriously, although there are a lot of unspoken truths throughout.
I’ve also considered writing a more serious book (in an academic style) about nail polish to incorporate my other passion. I actually have a lot of things to say about it and how it reflects and challenges the status quo. The book would deal with how nail polish symbolizes the voice of women, men, and dreamers. I would also go into the politics behind polish.
Hehe, I could literally keep on typing, but I think I’ll end this blog post here. 😉
So…what are you passionate about? Do you like writing and reading? At what age did you discover your passion?
Writing is my also my passion! But in my case for TV. I was one of those people who had no clue what I wanted to do for a long time. I was never really great at essays in school but script writing has always felt natural. I have been doing comedy(writing and performing) for almost 9 years now. My ultimate goal is to one day move to the UK and become a comedy writer for my own show that I write and perform on. I currently write loads of sketch comedy and perform in 2 sketch troupes. This year one of my resolutions is to write a bunch of pilot scripts and work on others I have already started. I have all these ideas floating in my head and I’m super pumped to get them on paper!
And I really hope you achieve all your goals! Good luck! :D:D:D
Also when I was about 12 I had a fortune cookie that said: “Beware of fortune cookies.” I refuse to eat them now.
Kas recently posted: Do I like you? I think I do. A England Ascalon
Hahahah, that’s a funny fortune! Whoever wrote that has a good sense of humour!
Hey Kas!
Very cool that you love writing comedic scripts! That sounds like a lot of fun, and it must be neat to see others participate and act out the things you’ve penned. 🙂
If you get your own show, that would be so awesome. You must come back and tell me! I love shows like that. I feel like there are too many dramas and shows about police, fire fighters, forensics, etc. I prefer to watch things that make me smile and laugh and forget all about the troubles in the world.
Thank you, and I wish you the best on all your resolutions! 🙂
i love writing and reading too.
i started writing the grocery list for my mum, I event won a contest when i was 9, it was a national contest of short stories and I won the 1st place and my story got published in a book that is in the national library
the thing is that in panama we have a problem, people hate to read. they just don’t. we had a dictatorship since the 60’s until 1989 (when the US invaded Panama in order to save the Panama Canal, you can read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_invasion_of_Panama), so the thing is that after Noriega went down, people went CRAZY in the streets stealing stuff from stores, the only place that didn’t get looted was the libraries and book stores. if i would know how to read ( i was 3 by that time) for sure i would had stolen all the books LOL.
i haven’t write in a while you know, only my blog, and i have another blog in spanish and one of the entries I did got mentioned in a radio show, i really love reading and writing, i tried photography for a while it didn’t work LOL.
maria emma recently posted: Es todo acerca de rojo y dorado.. y brillar..
Hey Maria Emma!
Wow, that’s a big deal about you winning that contest! You and your parents must’ve been so proud! 🙂
Did you tell your friends about it? How cool was it to see your name and story in print in a national library? I would totally flip!
I hardly know anything about Panama, so I’m really shocked at what you’ve told me! And I also think it’s really odd how the books were safe from the madness!
keep writting
Hey Icequeen81!
I most definitely will. 🙂 Nobody could stop me if they tried. Even if my hands were chopped off, I’d probably try to write with a pen in my mouth!
lol My mom loves telling the story of my first day at Head Start when I came home all pouty and refusing to go back because they didn’t teach me to read. 😉 If I recall that was the only reason I agreed to go in the first place. :p I don’t think I have anything in my life that I’m as passionate about as you are with writing. I get passionate about causes and am quite opinionated, but it’s not always focused.
Lizzy recently posted: Sinful Colors: Slate & Fiji
Hey Lizzy!
Awww, that’s such a CUTE story! 🙂 I can just picture you coming home upset because you wanted to learn how to read so badly! Thanks for sharing!
Ooh – what a wonderful post! I too love to write and hope like you to pen a novel someday. Regarding the story about your writer’s craft teacher – coming from the teaching profession myself, even if you reach one student it is all worth it. So if he saw that you were the only one who paid attention, then for sure it was worth it for him to share his story!
That was an awesome fortune! I would have laminated it 🙂
Good luck on your book writing journey. I think the nail polish one sounds quite neat – academic it up!
Margo recently posted: NOTD: Julep Cindy with Jordan accent
Hey Margo!
Haha, he definitely knew that I was paying attention. Sometimes it felt like we were just talking to each other and that we were alone. It was already a small class, and those who made the effort to show up tended to just sleep. :S Haha, I remember that some people used to wake up (and jump) when the bell rang! *Tsk tsk*
In a weird sort of way, my passion is actually spreading myself thin. For a bunch of years I felt bad that I would flit from interest to interest without properly settling- enjoying partaking of each, but never giving one precedence. I felt like I was inadequate, and couldn’t keep my attention still for long enough. But then I realized that actually I enjoy myself most when I’m juggling three to five hobbies at once. That’s enough to keep everything fresh, but not so many that anything gets lost in the shuffle. It’s also few enough that I can continue to hone my skills in each one without losing my edge due to time constraints.
I’m currently maintaining an interest in jewelry design, nail art (of course!), and playing the harp (hence the username). And of course blogging, but that’s a natural extension of any hobby I have- I talk too much for my own good, so better to put it in text form where it’s not monopolizing anyone’s time without their consent, right?
I guess you could say my biggest passion is experiencing new things, especially in the realm of creativity 😀
Fedoraharp recently posted: Quick post for the weekend
Hey Fedoraharp!
That’s a very keen observation you’ve made of yourself. It makes sense that you like to dabble in lots of different things to keep you occupied and interested.
Jewelry design has always seemed so fun and creative, but I’ve never tried anything intricate. (I’d probably make owl necklaces. Of. Course…hehe!)
How old were you when you learned how to play the harp? That’s so cool! I’ve always wanted to learn how to play it, but never tried it. Then again, I don’t even know where to buy or rent a harp. How long have you been playing?
This was a wonderful read, Mary! Your passion for writing really comes across in your blog, your posts are always a joy to read and so informative! I remember I would make up “About the Author” pages for my elementary school “books” too…LOL. Good luck writing your books, your ideas sound fantastic!!
Jenn recently posted: December Favourites!
Hey Jenn!
Reading your comment made me smile from ear to ear! I’m so glad that my love for writing comes through. I really do believe that language is the greatest invention of all time.
Thank you for the huge compliment! While I enjoy the act of writing, it’s even more rewarding to know that other people not only find it useful, but also enjoyable. It’s a win-win situation! 🙂
Haha, do you remember any of the things you’d write in your “About the Author” page? Did you keep any of the books you made in school?
Thank you for writing! That was beautiful to read.
Hey Candice!
Thank you for reading! Words are powerless without an audience of at least one reader.
Yes, your passion for writing is well expressed in your blog and that’s why I love it so much ^___^
My passion, but it’s not only a passion, it’s a need, is reading, and I try to catch all of the free moments that I have in my day, also when I don’t have time, for reading. I read since I was 3 and I love comic book, novels and everything is well written and interesting :-))) Good luck for your goal!
Paola recently posted: Shaka 625 – Golden Blackberry
Hey Paola!
I’m glad! 🙂 Playing with sentences is still one of the most enjoyable activities to this day.
You know, I used to read sooooo much, but, as my eyes got worse and as I got busier and busier and made more time for other things, I find that I don’t have as much time to read as I would like. I need to make more time, even if it’s just 30 minutes each night. I miss reading novels, especially! I think the last one I read was The Hunger Games, and then I started Catching Fire.
Your great writing is what attracted me to your blog, and posts like this one really show off your talent! I love how your personality always comes through in your blog. Keep it up and good luck with your goal!
Hey Julia!
Aww…you know that compliment is going straight to my head now. (I need to disperse it to my arms, legs, and feet.) 😉
With the ability to write posts like that, I know, one day, I’ll be reading a published book by you
Hey Cat!
Oh my! *Blush* THANK YOU for saying that! (I’m grinning from ear to ear!)
I too love writing! I was always a writer, with a passion for fantasy and mythology. I have spent countless hours creating characters and plotlines that sadly haven’t gone anywhere… but one day… one day they will be let loose on the world. Hah!
Sahra recently posted: Dottie
Hey Sahra!
Yay for another person who loves to write! I find that there are very few people who enjoy writing these days. So whenever I find someone who shares my passion, it feels like a needle in a haystack! 🙂
Awesome! I really like your writing style and I hope you will get published! 🙂
I have just finished a work of fiction (in swedish). I have some editing to do before I can send it to publishers. I’m really nervous. :S
Hey Josefin!
Aww…thank you so much! 🙂 Although I enjoy writing in different styles, my favourite is more the style you see on my blog – playful and humourous. Although my writing outside this blog gets a lot wackier. 😉
Wow, CONGRATULATIONS on even completing your piece of fiction. That in itself is a major accomplishment that not many people can say they did! You should be really proud! I hope that the publishers take it to print!