How I became a writer is a puzzle, with little pieces that seem so insignificant in the moment, but come together to create a mural of history and ideas that shaped my writing experience.

The First Piece

When I was four, my family moved to Charlotte, NC. In our house there was one window that had a ledge on the inside just the right size for me to sit on. I remember sitting there, one of my grandmother’s old primers in my lap (she was a teacher, and gave Mom lots of her old books), and pretending to be a southern belle in the 1860s, sitting by the window and watching down the lane for her papa to return from war. My dad has never been in the military, and the “lane” I was watching down was the side yard in between our house and our neighbor’s house, but in my mind there was nothing different between the two. 

The Second Piece

The three years we lived in Charlotte, I had one babysitter who ended up becoming like a big sister to me. The babysitter would fold clothes for my mom while telling my little sisters and me stories. Sometimes she’d repeat stories she had read in books, sometimes she made up stories with detectives, ballerinas, princesses, maids, and wizards. Some of her stories were serials that lasted throughout the years. 

The Third Piece

When I was five or six years old, I repented of my sins and asked Jesus to be my Savior and Lord. Sometimes it has been a struggle to follow Him, but whenever I start to wander, He brings me back to Himself, whether using gentle correction or much-needed discipline. Sure, this may not seem like a specific piece of the puzzle directly related to my writing, but for someone who longs to honour her King with every word she puts on a page, it makes a large impact.

The Fourth Piece

The first book I remember reading is The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, by C. S. Lewis. I’m sure I read some more before that, but that’s the first that stuck in my brain. I read it around ages five or six, and after it I watched the movie with my Dad. To me, that book symbolizes all the wonderful literature I’ve consumed in my life that has made an impact on my writing.

The Fifth Piece

In 2011 my family moved again. I was almost seven years old, and I was leaving the only home I could remember. For years after the move I had few, if any, close friends, so I dove deeper into books and became friends with the characters.

The Sixth Piece

When I was twelve, I started writing my first “real” book, The Mystery at Mermaid Cove. I finished it two years later under the title The Siren’s Stone. The whole thing was a whopping 15,000 words, but it was a great experience and I learned a ton from it as a writer.

The Seventh Piece

I wrote my first novel in about six months. This was the novel that taught me how much I dislike editing, and I ended up quitting it because I did not yet possess the love and determination to write as I would need to polish a novel.

The Eighth Piece

I joined The Young Writer’s Workshop (AKA YDubs) in February of 2019. I made many new writer friends on it, and started The Reflections. Even though I ended up leaving the program for some personal reasons, I still kept up connections with those writer friends. Turns out, they’re just what I needed to stick to my writing and have some people encourage me along the way!

   So that is the story of my writing journey in an incredibly brief summary. If you have any questions for me, message me through the contact form on the homepage!