Diary of a Writing Kid

Kicking, punching, name-calling, all of these words describe what I experienced on the playground. Laughing, joking, creating, all of these words describe what I write about to this day. Writing has been a big part of my life since I was eight years old, because it had to be; it was one of my only escapes. Vividly I can remember the playground from when I was younger, the pushing, the kicking, and the name-calling, I still hear the echoes of the names I was called to this day.

  No one liked me, and no one wanted to play with me, they called me freak and loner. I spent my time reading The Chronicles of Narnia and Magic Tree House and would envision what it was like to be Edmund or Jack. By myself, I would create a world where I could escape in my creative writing. This would become an essential part of my adjusting to the next several years of my life. Writing helped me survive the fears of the outside world and let me be who I wanted to be. I wrote stories of knights slaying the dragon and saving the princess, stories of superheroes destroying the bad guy, and being praised by all. This has affected me today in my screenwriting, and my love for it. To this day, I write stories about good beating evil, and as I grow, so does my love of writing. The bullying only gave me more depth to create honest and authentic characters in my work.   

In third grade, I changed schools. I was ready for a fresh start, a place to make friends. But the struggle to feel included only grew. I spent my free time at school with my teacher, who influenced my writing most positively. I would sit with her at recess and read and talk as the others played pirates. I longed to play with the others, but I was so relieved to have someone kind to talk to and who would read my stories. She seemed to genuinely care for the characters and what would happen to them. That year made me realize what happiness really is. My teacher said that everyone could have a happy ending, even the bad guy, she taught me about redemption. The stories I have written from then tend to have an undertone of hope, whether the story is a comedy or drama.   Writing saved my life; it let me experience the joys of childhood, the playing and imagination, and everything a child should get to be when they are young. As I got older, my short little stories I would write turned into longer narratives, and eventually into screenplays. The stories that I would write with my teacher at recess or in my bedroom late at night have turned into works of art that countless people help me create today. Seeing my writing come to life is why I love writing and why I will never stop writing, for the rest of my life.