Rebel Without a Book

I remember being about nine years old and my father telling me I was a good writer and would write the great American novel someday. Actually, my parents told me that all the time. I don't know where the idea came from. I have no memory of ever writing short stories, poems, or even to-do lists. I do remember drawing Tippy the Turtle and trying to get accepted to that art school advertised in magazines. (Now that I think about it, maybe my parents were subtly telling me I had no artistic talent. Hmm.)

I was not a particularly rebellious kid. But I rebelled against the writer thing. Everyone told me I should do it, so I'd be darned if I would. I always got A's on creative writing assignments, majored in journalism, and built a career around corporate writing of any sort. But I had a mental block against writing fiction, for many of the usual reasons: it's too hard, it's lonely, I will suck, every one will hate my stories.

Guess what? It's hard, it's lonely, I often suck, and people might hate my stories. But I got over my rebellion, and evicted the stubborn child living in my brain who told me not to write just because my family told me I should. And although I hate to say my parents and all those adults from childhood were right, I am a writer. I do love it. I'm not sure about writing the great American novel--I think that's been done already--but I will write novels. See. Sometimes your parents do know what they are talking about.