Dirty Little Secrets
Okay, I'm going to lay it all out in the open here.
I wrote my first "book" when I was 9, on a road trip to California. It was kind of "One on One" meets "Grease." I let my step mother, my uncle and my mom read it. My mom's only comment was that people don't line up to go to lunch in high school. So I learned, write what you know.
My second book was more mature. It was about a rodeo cowboy who had a different woman in every town, but came back to the first one at the end. This one was much more mature in subject matter, so no one read it. But I learned how to end a book!
During high school, my writing was just for pleasure, stories about my friends and I - our aliases were Cora Q. Cool and Ramona Ramone (it was the 80s.) These were serialized, updated with whoever we had crushes on that week. I learned to take feedback.
In college, I started a story about a hero whose parents are killed by the IRA and he infiltrates the organization to avenge them, all the while falling in love again with the mother of his child. I learned romantic suspense and how to research. (Never did finish that book, though.)
I wrote a U2 fanfic. Just sayin'.
I started a story about an older pharmacist (I used to work at Eckerds, and NO, Bob, if you're out there, it wasn't about you.) who falls in love with the store manager, who's young enough to be his daughter. His son is also attracted to her. I learned about love triangles.
Most of those stories I don't have anymore, though I wish I did, just to see. 
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7 comments:
This was so cool, Mar. I didn't know these things about you! I love it.
I wrote graphic novels all through my childhood. I wrote my first book at 12. My English Teacher wanted to send it to Scholastic, but I didn't believe in it or myself, so when we moved away, I let it go. After high school, I didn't write much more than entries in my diary until I turned 40. Then I started again, beginning with fan fiction. The feedback I got from the fan fic inspired me to try something a bit longer, so I wrote a novella for a friend (a murder mystery, starring them.) The feedback on that spurred me on a little more, and I began work on my first romance novel. The one I'm writing right now is number five. Number four is set for release next month. I wouldn't be here without the feedback I received from those who believed I "had something" long before I believed it. I'm grateful to them.
Grateful for Mar, too. :)
Hugs,
JoAnn
http://www.expage.com/joannakmoore
Thanks for sharing Mary. I actually like the IRA story and the whole pharmacist thing. Maybe it's because of George on Desperate Housewives. I think we need more stories about pharmacists!
I agree. You should do the IRA story. Sounds right up your action-adventure alley.
I wrote my first book in the 5th grade, and I still have it. It's got a cloth cover and is called Land of the Misty Gems, complete with hand-drawn pictures, and a prince and princess get married in it. It was a school project, and even then I was thinking romance. :)
Wow, look at us - we really are writers, and have been! Trish, how cool you have your first book, cover and all!
As for the IRA story, mayyyyybe.
And the pharmacist was adorable. I did love that story, and there was the age conflict. I think I still do have bits of that one around.
I definitely want to see you and the IRA story, Mar. It would be magnificent.
JoAnn
Mary! It sounds like our writing histories parallel each other. THe first story I remember writing was in first grade and was about a witch & was a winner in the 2nd grade short story contest. THen it was jr high and whichever guy was 'in' that week was the focus of my writing. I actually still have some of them in my basement. Last time I read any of them I died laughing, but also got some real smiles in there, too. Hugs & thanks for sharing!!!
Janice, yeah, mine were always about my crush at the time...movie stars then, too. I won't REALLY embarrass myself by naming names, though.....
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