I've got a dream

Before you read this post, you have to watch this video.

Watched it?

I'll take your word for it.

My dream is to be a writer.

It's a dream that I've had before. As a child I wrote lots of stories. As an adolescent, I wrote lots of poems and long, whiny journal entries. (I might share those sometime, just for fun.) In high school, I didn't think that Newspaper would be for me (I didn't think I was that kind of writer) but when I joined my senior year, I really enjoyed myself and wished that I had joined earlier.

As a kid, I always thought I'd grow up to be an author. By the end of high school, I'd decided I would be an English teacher. I learned that I loved editing so I thought that would be a good opportunity to wield a red pen on a regular basis.

When I shadowed in a high school English classroom as part of an assignment for an Intro to Teaching class, I realized that being an English teacher also means being a Literature teacher. While I'd always loved reading, I did not love the classics nor Shakespeare. I determined that I needed to change course. Luckily I figured that out right before I submitted my application to the School of Education at KU. I decided to go with Elementary Education because I did love teaching and kids, and I'd get to teach a variety of subjects.

My life kind of changed course for a while there (I became a wife and mom in a short amount of time) and my dream to be a writer faded.

I dreamed of getting my degree.

When that happened, I dreamed of owning my own home.

When that happened, I dreamed of successfully finishing student teaching while mothering a 2 year old.

When that happened, I dreamed of having another baby.

When that happened...well, since that has happened, I've pretty much just dreamed of being a decent mom and wife. Keeping everyone alive, not yelling too much. Not eating too much sugar. (Haha. Just kidding.)

Now that baby is four years old and I have a little bit of time for dreaming my own dreams again.

The desire to be a writer is there again. I'm not sure what kind of a writer I want to be.

My dad is convinced I need to write a book. Let me tell you about my last experience writing fiction. It was for a class at KU. We had to write three anonymous short stories. Here are the grades I received: A. B. C. In that order. Somehow I still received an A in the class.

I don't tend to gravitate toward fiction. I read some fiction. I enjoy reading fast-paced stories about almost anything, as long as it is something that keeps me turning pages. I actually read a lot of nonfiction. Right now I am dabbling in six different books. I just picked up two more from the library today. Of those eight books, only two are fiction. Is that weird?

If I were to write a nonfiction book, what on earth would I write about? I know my life's not interesting enough for TV (as I explained here) but is it interesting enough for a book? I'm not sure. I'm not really an expert on anything in particular either.

I'm just not sure a book is the answer. Sorry, Dad.

If not a book, then...what?

Is writing in this blog the answer to my dream of being a writer? If not that, then...what?

Maybe it's time for more Googling.

Fellow writers, I would love to hear about how you are flexing your muscles as a writer.