When I was five, I had endured a total of ten surgeries on my hips and my left hand. I was born with congenital bilateral hip dysplasia (and if you google it, you'll probably get a lot of search results about it in retrievers) and "Streeters syndrome" (a condition that caused my left hand to be webbed together after the circulation was cut off, not allowing it to develop properly).
At the age of five, I had my last invasive surgery. The surgery, however, rendered me to a wheelchair for the next handful of months. Even after my body-cast came off, I couldn't walk.
How was I to see the world? I was confined to my house; I couldn't go to school or even visit my friends.
My only outlet, I found, was writing. I suppose in general it was more "creating" - creating worlds, characters, and scenarios. Writing got me through high school. I want to be a published author and an editor.
When I say I love writing, I mean I reallylove writing. It is something I have worked in my entire life.
You Can Always Write.
It doesn't matter if you're 86 years old, 8 years old, or 35 years old, or anywhere in between. It doesn't matter if you're on the train, or walking to class (that is, if you can text and walk, otherwise I don't recommend it), or laying in bed and you can't sleep! Whip out your phone or notebook (whatever's closest), and write down what's on your mind. It might be therapeutic!
It actually is therapeutic.
Ever heard of writing therapy? Yep, it's a thing.
According to this article, writing therapy has proven effective for many different conditions and mental illness, including post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression, communication skill issues.
I recently wrote an article about being ghosted. Writing down my feelings about the situation itself and how the guy made me feel lifted the weight off my shoulders. I felt better and kind of forgot about the situation.
It's Something I Will Always Get Better At.
That's my favorite thing about the arts - any of the arts: writing, painting, acting in the theater, etc. No matter how hard you work, there is always room for improvement. My writing from my freshman year of high school is nothing like it is today - and I have lots of teachers to thank for their time and efforts.
Something I Write Might Inspire Someone Else.
I have been inspired by some of the greatest writers: Patricia Cornwell, Stephen King, George R. R. Martin, among others. The stories they've written have inspired me in their own ways, and their influence can be found in my writing style.
Patricia is a great crime writer. While writing her first novel, "Postmortem", she worked as a computer analyst at the office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Virginia. Her novels center primarily on medical examiner Kay Scarpetta. In her free time, she researches new forensic technologies to use in her novels.
Stephen King, author of "It", "The Shining", "Carrie", "Cujo", "Under the Dome", and "11/22/63," among a long list of others. His career started with Carrie, first published in 1974. He is considered "one of the most prolific authors alive, known for writing horror, fantasy and psychological thrillers. His books have sold more than 350 million copies."
I was surprised the length of the lists — I knew Stephen King wrote a lot of books, but I didn't realize how many!
George R. R. Martin is the author of the critically acclaimed "A Song of Ice and Fire" series — Game of Thrones. He has created an expansive and incredibly deep world, with extensive histories. People eagerly await who will claim the Iron Throne…
In my eyes, Patricia Cornwell shows dedication to her work. Stephen King shows me that it's possible to create a career out of writing. I aspire to have a world as deep as the one in "A Song Of Ice and Fire."
