by Patricia Caviglia
I am a writer. I did not always know it or accept it. As an only and lonely young child, I told myself many stories. I created them, wrote them in my mind, and edited them. They provided hours of entertainment. I discovered an appreciation for reading around age thirteen: I read my first novel, a romance story. I can’t remember how many pages it was, but I remember thinking it was a monster of a book. I never thought I would get through it. In fact, the only reason I borrowed it from the library was to read the juicy scenes. I was curious! I became curious about the story too. That is when my love of reading and writing began.
I devoured novels and was inspired to write everything from scripts to poetry. In a Chemistry class, I even wrote an ode to the atom. Reading and writing are what I did. By the time I entered university, I made sure that I could write the best papers possible. After all, writing was my talent. I would honor it. Enough professors expressed how much they enjoyed reading my well written essays that I know I received higher marks than I deserved on some papers.
Why then did I not pursue writing as a career until my thirties? Few people ever suggested it. The most important person was my mother. She believed I should do something important and highly remunerated. Creativity and art were not considered options. Eventually, I stopped being creative on paper and reverted to being creative in my head. It is in my nature to write. I cannot stop the flow of characters and stories. I have tried.
Before I became a mother, so many parents told me that children would change my life. They always made it sound negative like a burden. Perhaps they did not mean it that way or perhaps I misunderstood them. However, I found that my daughter’s birth gave me focus. In a way, I became more selfish. I stopped stifling myself and unleashed a novella upon the world. Between the Tweeting, the Facebook sharing, the blogging, and the story writing, I am writing more than I ever have before. I never seem to stop. Some days, it feels like there aren’t enough letters in the alphabet for all these words that keep spewing out of me. Some days, I write so much I do not want to talk. Other times, I should write about one thing (like right now, I should be working on a short story contest entry), but I find myself wanting to work on something entirely different (this blog post).
What is amazing is that I am living a dream I never allowed myself to believe could be a reality until I became a mother. As a mother, I am my daughter’s primary example of what a woman should be – courageous enough to believe in herself and pursue her dreams.
* * *
Patricia Caviglia is a mom, a writer and a full-time railroader. Her first published work, a young adult novella, is entitled Masks.
Website: http://www.patriciacaviglia.com/
Blog: http://masksthebook.wordpress.com/
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Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I am a writer. I did not always know it or accept it. As an only and lonely young child, I told myself many stories. I created them, wrote them in my mind, and edited them. They provided hours of entertainment. I discovered an appreciation for reading around age thirteen: I read my first novel, a romance story. I can’t remember how many pages it was, but I remember thinking it was a monster of a book. I never thought I would get through it. In fact, the only reason I borrowed it from the library was to read the juicy scenes. I was curious! I became curious about the story too. That is when my love of reading and writing began.
I devoured novels and was inspired to write everything from scripts to poetry. In a Chemistry class, I even wrote an ode to the atom. Reading and writing are what I did. By the time I entered university, I made sure that I could write the best papers possible. After all, writing was my talent. I would honor it. Enough professors expressed how much they enjoyed reading my well written essays that I know I received higher marks than I deserved on some papers.
Why then did I not pursue writing as a career until my thirties? Few people ever suggested it. The most important person was my mother. She believed I should do something important and highly remunerated. Creativity and art were not considered options. Eventually, I stopped being creative on paper and reverted to being creative in my head. It is in my nature to write. I cannot stop the flow of characters and stories. I have tried.
Before I became a mother, so many parents told me that children would change my life. They always made it sound negative like a burden. Perhaps they did not mean it that way or perhaps I misunderstood them. However, I found that my daughter’s birth gave me focus. In a way, I became more selfish. I stopped stifling myself and unleashed a novella upon the world. Between the Tweeting, the Facebook sharing, the blogging, and the story writing, I am writing more than I ever have before. I never seem to stop. Some days, it feels like there aren’t enough letters in the alphabet for all these words that keep spewing out of me. Some days, I write so much I do not want to talk. Other times, I should write about one thing (like right now, I should be working on a short story contest entry), but I find myself wanting to work on something entirely different (this blog post).
What is amazing is that I am living a dream I never allowed myself to believe could be a reality until I became a mother. As a mother, I am my daughter’s primary example of what a woman should be – courageous enough to believe in herself and pursue her dreams.
* * *
Website: http://www.patriciacaviglia.com/
Blog: http://masksthebook.wordpress.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Would you like to participate in Friday "Speak Out!"? Email your short posts (under 500 words) about women and writing to: marcia[at]wow-womenonwriting[dot]com for consideration. We look forward to hearing from you!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
8 comments:
What a great message. I was fortunate to have a mother who supported me and wouldn't let me do anything BUT what I loved. Your child is very very lucky. :)
Great post! After my children were born, so much creativity came along with being a Mom. Enjoy!
Best from another Patricia
Patricia,
I was fortunate to have parents that nurtured my love of writing and reading. When I went to college, I got a degree in English and creative writing. I have never looked back! I write fantasy and horror.
I think it's great you are writing. My mother didn't start until she was in her 50s and finishing her college degree. I learned a lot from her.
If you are truly a writer, I feel nothing will stop you from telling your stories. It doesn't matter if you ever make it big like J.K. Rowling or Janet Daily. It's in your blood. The stories need to be told and you are there to tell them!
-Nora
http://norabpeevy.blogspot.com/
What a great post - I relate on many levels - beginning with "writing" stories in my head as a child and then reverting to that as an adult while I was doing other things. And, too, parents didn't prevent me, but it was just kind of understood that writing or creative endeavors weren't practical! Thanks so much for sharing, and your daughter is very lucky. Looking forward to hearing your stories.
I love hearing that someone can relate to my personal story. Thanks Melissa Ann.
I hear you Nora!
What great comments! Thank you all for taking the time to share your own thoughts and feelings. I wish I could get this kind of reaction on my own blog. LOL!
Patricia, I'm adding your blog to my blog list and signing up as a follower. I invite you to do the same with mine - maybe we CAN get comments going on our own blogs! http://writeryogini.blogspot.com
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