What I Learned from the Writer I Used to Be, Part 1

I started writing stories when I was seven. I was home sick from school for the entire month of February and apparently took to writing.

From that, I learned to be a pack rat. I remember writing the story, but I don't have it anymore. Somewhere along the way, it was surely pitched. Probably in one of those moments where, since I was growing up, I didn't need "childish" stuff anymore. Luckily I got over that...

Part of my pack rat tendency I blame on my less than stellar memory. The items trigger recollections that I enjoy. So I keep the items.

Slowly, I'm adjusting my storage methods. Things are starting to be scanned into the computer. Virtual storage takes up much less room than real storage.

At least I still have the books we made for English class in third grade. We spent a couple days writing and then typing up our stories. I took quite a bit longer than the rest of the class... and had to rush my drawings. (Not that it would have mattered that much because my fingers are made for typing, not drawing. I still draw about as well. ;-) After we printed our stories, we pasted them in little blank hard cover books. How fabulous.

Though, it's funny to go back and read that third grade story "Uni and Wolffy." Even then I had trouble writing myself into situations I couldn't get out of. At least now I have time to revise. Which is a later lesson I learned.

When did you start writing? How about them school writing projects?