Hello.
I'm a writer.
Back when I was a little girl, I was totally in love with reading. I guess I've been a book lover since the beginning of times. I've always felt this unconditional passion for books and words. It's something I've never been able to silence -- not that I want to, though.
When I was ten, I knew I wanted to do something about it. What was that? Honestly, I had no idea. A part of me knew there was something missing... a word I couldn't find but was waiting for me somewhere.
Write.
I know now that write was the word. The world was asking me to write. It was like someone was screaming it with the voice of a thousand burning suns but I couldn't hear it.
At the age of eleven, I wrote my first book. Of course, I refer to it as a 'book' because I guess it actually was, but bear in mind what it was like. My "book" was about a girl and a boy living in a forest with fairies and yet-to-be-discovered magic. It was the cliché of all fairytale clichés. But how was I to know back then, right? My "book" had drawings and colors and I believed in it with all my heart. At the time, my protagonist had about seven different names because I couldn't simply chose ONE.
I don't remember why I stopped writing it... It was silly, yes, but it was a dream. And I will never call a dream 'silly'. Dreams are everything but silly. And so I'll always treasure my book.
I was in fifth grade when I wrote -- and later stopped writing -- my book. I remember saying: "Next year I'll be in middle school. I'm too young to write a book. Next year they'll teach me everything I need to know about writing books."
And so I stopped writing and middle school began. Guess what? No one taught me everything I needed to know about writing books. Then began high school and, again, I said: "Next year will be the year."
Guess what? No one taught me everything I needed to know about books in high school either.
It's not that I stopped writing completely during those years. I kept writing short stories and hundreds of things, but I didn't write books. Why? Because I used to believe I was too young.
When I was fifteen, I realized no one was coming. No one was going to show up in the classroom one day and say: "Okay, here's the thing" and would tell me the secret of book writing. Maybe because there's no secret to it. Maybe because things like that don't happen in real life.
I realized that no one was planning to teach me a thing.
So I decided to teach myself.
That very same year, I wrote my second book ever because of NaNoWriMo.
One night, I turned off the lights of my room and opened the curtains to stare at the stars. I remember if was midnight, silence ruled the street and the moon winked at me. The night welcomed me that day and I'll never forget it. I sat on the floor and chose a random star on the sky. And I made a promise. No, I didn't wish upon it. I made a promise to myself and to the night sky above. I swore I'd write and never stop. I swore I'd be a writer, published or not.
And here I am today.
I believe in stars and wishes, in dreams and struggles. I believe in fighting for what we believe in and following our hearts. I believe some things are meant to be and that we all have a voice.
I believe in dreams and stars and words.
------ Arya
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