Storytelling

Storytelling fascinates me, both written and verbal. I don't clearly remember preschool, but my mom has told me that I used to love going because my preschool teacher was an excellent storyteller. Besides that being part of her job as a teacher of little ones, storytelling was a side-job of hers. She got paid to tell stories because she did so in a way that caught peoples attention and catered to their emotions. That takes talent and lots of practice, just like the perfected timing, emphasis and expression used by comedians or actors/actresses.

As a kid, I used to make up stories (not lies--make-believe stories) to keep myself and my sister entertained. I loved to make up stories, and it came easily as a child living in a world of imagination and exploration. In middle school, I wrote short, fan-fiction stories with my friends. It was fun and I didn't take any of that writing seriously at age 14. Strangely enough, I did not realize that wanted to continue and pursue that skill in my adult life as an author. In fact, it did not dawn on me that I could until my mom suggested the idea. Then it clicked and felt right. From my senior year of high school, I have never doubted my desire to be a published writer.

Not so coincidentally, I love to read. I love books. However, I could not really read until the end of the 4th grade. I was one of those kids that was taken out of class a hour a day to sit with a specialist who was supposed to help me learn to read better. When I finally did learn to read, it was done with little to no influence from the reading specialists. I discovered that liked to read stories that are interesting, not the inanely boring history or social studies books we'd been forced to read in class. The first real chapter book I read was an American Girl Doll book called Patsy: Diary of a Slave Girl. Ironically, the theme of this book was about a young slave girl (Patsy) who taught herself to read because she knew that if she were educated she would have a better life. This was so much different from my own reality where teachers were always trying to force me to read. Instead, it was illegal for someone to teach Patsy and so she learned in secret. I'm not quite sure how much of an impact that had on me at the time, but it was an entertaining story that catapulted me into being a voracious bookworm.

Now, I spend thousands of dollars a year to learn how to become a great storyteller, to captivate an audience and perhaps even someday write a book that catches a young, reluctant reader's attention enough to open the door of their imagination to the infinite possibilities of books. But for the time being, I'll keep studying.