Beginnings Blogfest

L.G. Keltner is hosting:

What is it, you ask?  Taken from her blog:

Do you want to share the events that inspired you to start blogging?  Perhaps you'd like to recall that first awkward blog entry where you tried to introduce yourself to the blogging world.
Or maybe you'd like to write about what inspired you to embark on your career path.  When did the passion for this career choice begin, and how did you go about making it a reality?
You could even start at your real beginning and talk a little about where you were born and what the times were like.
Or, if you'd rather not talk about yourself, you can write about the origins of a favorite book, movie, artistic movement, or pretty much anything else.  After all, I'd feel bad asking you to adhere to any strict guidelines since I'm asking you to write something original.

---

I've decided to write about what made me want to be a writer and how I stumbled into blogging.

I grew up in an extremely nontraditional way.  I don't think today is the day to share my "I had a bad childhood so woe is me" story (HAHA). That being said-- things weren't always easy/stable (emotionally and physically speaking.)  I think that's why it's hard for me now to not come out swinging whenever I feel I'm (or someone I care about) is being attacked... I spent most of my life fighting battles.  

I was a very quiet child.  In elementary school, I was bullied pretty bad for both my name ("Asia's a continent!  Asia's a continent!") and for my academic ability.  Every year of school they asked my mother to move me ahead a grade, but she declined.  I was taken out of class a lot to do different assignments than the other children and I was also part of "G.A.T.E"-- Gifted And Talented Education.  I spent a lot of time reading and journaling alone in my room.  I was 5 years old when I started my first journal and I chronicled every day of my life since then.  

I am not a continent.  I am a person.
And it's spelled A-Z-I-A!

Books were the escape I longed for from both my unstable home life and the tormenting school days.  The characters in the stories I read became the friends I couldn't seem to make.  We moved a lot, so that made it even harder to make friends... which in turn, aided in my introvertism (I made that word up and it's staying!) and increased my social anxiety... which made me even more strange with the passing years.

While books allowed me to "travel" to other places, writing became my sanctuary, my outlet. 

I sent my first finished novel to Disney.  It was a story about a boy who shrinks in size and follows a squirrel into his nest and discovers an entire network underground of animals.  Unfortunately, Disney never got back to me (why I sent it to Disney, I have no idea) and, being that I was 11 years old, I didn't know that I should make more than one copy of my book and it is now gone forever.  *Note to Disney: If you're seeing this-- can you send me back my manuscript?  I'd like to get a good chuckle from it.  Please and thank you.

I started blogging via MySpace at 15 years old, that's just about 12 years ago.  It opened an entire world for me!  I was surprised by the sheer number of people whowere able to relate to the things I wrote about.  By the time I was 15, I was less awkward and had a lot more friends.  I still continued to feel different from most of my peers but I had found pot, which mellowed my mind and made me care less about what peope thought.  (No, I do not smoke pot now nor have I for many many years!)  I have also since discovered that everyone feels a little weird, some of us just have a harder time keeping our freak-flag at bay.

It's TOM!

I blogged on MySpace regularly until 2009 when I stumbled across my good friend Sarah's blog-- I joined the blogger community here and have loved every minute of it.

Around that time, I also started to realize that I wanted my love of literature to be what my career centered around.  I changed gears in college (I was studying to be a teacher) and began my path for a BA in Creative Writing with a minor in Political Science.  (I figured stuyding government would be helpful in writing dystopian style novels.)  I was overwhelmed with pleasure and knew writing was in my bones. 

I now maintain 2 blogs "professionally"- though they aren't a passion-- I write here for that.  I also run another blog, a weight loss blog, but I haven't been keeping up with that one as much.  I've  had a few minor things published and am in the midst of a slew of unfinished manuscripts that are in varying stages of completion.

I am excited and optimistic about the future ...  It seems writing has always been a place of security for me.  I am thankful for that.

                                                                       Source: babyhb.tumblr.com via Azia on Pinterest