True Love: Writing

 Dear 11-year-old Abigail,

You’ve been responsible nearly all your life. You tend to your cats and dog, gardening and baking. 

But don’t forget to tend to your dreams and aspirations. 

You have a deep passion - for the arts. From the moment Dad gave you a large piece of paper and crayons to draw a picture, you instead started writing a story about a cat. You were four. Fine arts and dance also feed your fire. But writing. Writing is your true love.

Not everyone will be thrilled that you type away, story after story. Kids at school asked what you were writing and you told them, “A book.” They laughed at you. I’m proud you did not stop writing after that. In high school, your drawing and painting truly blossomed. It was another solid leg to stand on. It won’t be until much later, but you’l be a ballerina yet, too. 

Don’t listen to your boss who looks at a story of yours with a huff. Who laughed that this was how you spent your time.

The good news is, you will find so many writing mentors throughout junior high snd high school. Mr. C, Mrs. S, Mrs. English, Mrs. Wegner. As a writer, you'll meet writer friends all across the United States. 

You’ll write for a living in reporting for a long time. At night, you worked on your first MG novel. You were  swept up in the story, and didn’t leave the chair for hours. It was a terrible first draft. But it was still a manuscript for a book. 

Abigail, at 11, you already tried to write a book. The passion is inside you. Explore it. Believe in you. Believe in your love for the  writing and books. I can tell you, full heart turned out, you will find that writing will write you out of some complex issues. It will bring you closer to people you love. You can write your way out of so many corners. 

Writing will save you. 

Go forth. Write your heart out. 

Happy Reading!