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Writer's pictureValerie McNulty

Becoming an Author: Unveiling My Writing Journey

In this blog post outline, discover the transformative journey of becoming an author and the defining moments that shaped my path.




Introduction


I never set out to be an author. If you had told me ten years ago that I would one day write for a living, I would have laughed at you. Don't get me wrong, I have always loved reading and writing, but I never envisioned myself intentionally entering into the writing world. After all, my love for the written word was simply a hobby, or so I thought. It's amazing to me how every small step, every area of intrigue, and past experience have positioned me onto a path that I absolutely love.


The Seed of Inspiration


My first taste of writing for others began in high school. As a freshman, one of the academic counselors accidentally put me in an upper-level journalism class. It was obvious that I was the youngest in the classroom, and everyone, including the teacher, looked at me like I was in the wrong class. To my teacher's surprise, I was exactly where I needed to be. It didn't take long for both he and I to realize I was up for the challenge.


I thrived in that course. The journalism class was in charge of the monthly school newspaper and yearbook. I loved the challenge of being assigned different topics of content to write about. I found it thrilling to interview students and teachers and create something new from the dialogue. I knew little about formatting techniques or editing, but I learned quickly what was expected. I was stretched as part of our assignment included capturing pictures to go along with our articles, and photogaphy wasn't my strong suit. However, every aspect of this class that I took years ago helped shape me into who I am today.


I was the first freshman to take Journalism and I continued to take it all four years. In my senior year, I accepted the role of editor-in-chief for the newspaper and yearbook. Besides my teacher, I had the final say on design elements and what topics we would include each month in the newspaper. This role was truly one of the first positions that fostered my skill set but also grew me as a leader. Journalism was my happy place in school. A place where I not only belonged but shaped me into who I was becoming.


You may be reading this, thinking- well, I know where this is going. She majored in Journalism, and one thing led to another until she decided to write a book. If this is your guess, then that's where I have to correct you. In a lot of ways, I wish I had majored in Journalism, or even business, for that matter, but I stepped into the college world with a doe-eyed look and felt completely overwhelmed by it all. During my first two years of college, I was convinced to just focus on a general studies degree since I wasn't sure which path I wanted to pursue.


Once I completed the first two years, I was encouraged to officially declare a major. While I know and trust that nothing is wasted in this life, there are times when I wish I had a mentor speaking into my life at that time who could have persuaded me to go after what I enjoyed rather than what was practical. I ended up declaring psychology as my major, and while I can say it was never my passion per se, I do enjoy studying people and find the mind intriguing. After completing college and writing way too many papers on people or things that hold little interest to me, my love of reading and writing dwindled.


Mentally, I needed a break and had zero desire to curl up with a book or journal my thoughts for fun. The longer I went without doing either, the more I began to forget my love for putting pen to paper and creating something out of nothing. It took years to discover my love again. Some may say the in-between seasons are a waste of time, but I think otherwise. My in-between season was challenging. I lived a lot of life before I began writing again. In this way, the silent years gave me alot to work through and also speak on. It was due to this creative gap that I found my voice, but not in any way that I would have imagined.


Part II... coming soon.






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1 Comment


Love learning more about your story, thanks for sharing!🥰

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