Isn't Talli almost X (insert your figure) years old? Shouldn't she be grown up by now? But the older that I get, the more I realize I may never be grown up.
Last Wednesday, I gave a writing workshop to a lovely group of students at King's College London. After the workshop was over, one of the students asked if I'd always known I wanted to be a writer.
Thoughts swirled though my mind as it hit me that I never knew I wanted to be a writer. I knew I liked to make up stuff, sure, but a writer? Was that even a job? How did someone get to be a writer, anyway?
As I grew older, I went through phases of wanting to be an Olympic gymnast (thank you, Nadia Comaneci and the Montréal Olympics), Little Orphan Annie (I could hang off a bridge with the best of them), the fastest runner in the world (Ben Johnson's to blame) . . . finally settling on a career in journalism. Then public relations. Then teaching. Then recruitment.
And then, when I'd done the 'adult' thing and accumulated lots of shoes, handbags, hair extensions (don't ask) and a closet full of clothes, it hit me that none of this was making me happy. So, I did the impractical, irrational thing, turning my back on it all. The child inside me -- that girl who loved to make up stuff -- has never been happier.
I still have bills to pay (boo to student loans); pay cheques to earn; boring responsibilities to fulfil. But as soon as I disappear back into my writing, I'm a kid once again.
What does the child in you want to be?
Announcements!
- Are you interesting in short-story writing workshops? The wonderful Helen Hunt has more information here.
- My novella, Miracle at the Museum of Broken Hearts, is free today and tomorrow on Amazon. Check it out if you have a sec. Amazon UK; Amazon.com.
I always wanted to own a sweetshop :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd I hope I never grow up again. Tried it once, didn't like it.
Very entertaining post.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid, I wanted to be an actress, a fashion designer, a poet, an insurance agent (hah, that one actually happened), a PI, an FBI agent, a CIA agent, a homicide detective, a psychologist, a forensic psychologist, ect, ect, ect. Eventually, I realized that life was too short to get that many different professions and master them all, so I might as well make up characters that work them.
I bet you're an awesome writing teacher for students, Talli! How cool they get to hear your insights.
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to be a writer, but I wanted to be many many things too, including an astronaut, an Olympic gymnast (actually, I still want to be her!), a marine biologist, a government spy, etc. But the wanting to be a writer was the only thing that stuck for good!
I never said I wanted to be a writer or author either!
ReplyDeleteAnd what does the child in me still want to be? A rock star!
Oh my gosh, I wanted to be a singer so bad. And then I realized I actually had to be GOOD at singing. Ha!
ReplyDeleteI used to live in a sweet shop!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to be an actress, a ballerina, a concert pianist, a singer (do you see a theme emerging here?)I ended up being a teacher which involves elements of many of those desires. I look quite grown up but I'm not really.
I wanted to be an archaeologist. We can thank Indiana Jones for that childhood dream.
ReplyDeleteHmm. I wanted to be a Singer,actress,Designer, Veterinarian, teacher. I had a major crush, when I was little, on a western actor and I wanted to write a stories with me grown up and adventures we could go on. Instead, I made up lots of stories for my brothers and I to play.
ReplyDeleteI accomplished a few of those things, except landing the Actor, lol!
Sia McKye OVER COFFEE
The child in me just wants to be alone with her cat and her pretty pink things! LOL!
ReplyDeleteGlad you had a great workshop!! Hope you never grow up! Yay!
Take care
x
I always wanted to be an actress, singer and a writer with a dancing stunt double. I understand what you mean about feeling like a "kid" when you're writing what you love. I think that's one of the perks with blogging, getting that instantaneous feedback, as if shouting, "mommy, see what I can do!" Great post Talli! Julie
ReplyDeleteI love to play in my head. Sometimes people will say, "Hello? Where's your mind right now?" Ha! If they only knew. Writing for me is just the creative air releasing from my head. (no, please don't say air head).
ReplyDeleteI would like to sprinkle fairy dust and have us all live in Neverland forever. :-) Yesterday, I went to lunch with old corporate friends...seeing all the people in suits gave me the chills. I just want to stay in my writing sweater, silly hat and mismatched socks.
ReplyDeleteI always wanted to be a writer. But at one point I wanted to be a nursery school teacher (ha ha - I'm not a huge fan of kids, apart from my own) and then a beauty therapist. I actually went to college to do beauty therapy, despite being repulsed by feet. I'm not very sensible, am I?
ReplyDeleteWriting definitely makes me feel like a kid again! I wanted to be a writer from age 8 (though there was a while in there where I wanted to be a lawyer, for some reason). It's such fun!
ReplyDeleteI never knew I wanted to be a writer either. But once I took the plunge, I knew I was where I was supposed to be.
ReplyDeleteHappy Weekend!
I often wonder if successful writers "knew" all along they wanted to write. I floated around my late teens/early twenties with the best of them, finishing college with a degree but no real passion. It wasn't until I got older that I realized I'd rather make up stories than have a desk job. But for now, I've settled for making up stories while AT my desk job.
ReplyDeleteIt's just nice to know some authors didn't spend every day since they were 8 writing stories. It gives me hope. :)
What a lovely post. Very nostalgic for me. I wanted to be a dancer. I love it so much but have never had the guts to start even now but I aim to soon. The child in me demands it.
ReplyDeleteI want to swing on the swings and go down the slide and hang on the jungle gym again.
ReplyDeleteHi Talli .. I still don't really know what I'd like to do .. definitely get things organised with my writing, even though I've only recently started ... and if I had enough cash - I'd love to have a restaurant - preferably have others do the work?! .. with the feel and ambience coming from me .. cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteWhere have you been all this time Talli?
ReplyDeleteYou are an amazing writer and your sense of reality is so infectious!
When I was younger I wanted to be a scientist and a singer. Sadly, those dreams fizzled and I became a superhero instead. :)
Have a great weekend, Talli!
I always wanted to be a mother. And a writer. I am a mother and I guess blogging is putting a toe in the water : ) Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteGrow up? What is this "grow up" you speak of?
ReplyDeleteI wanna be a kick-butt chick who saves the world. I still haven't got that cape yet though.
"I knew I liked to make up stuff, sure, but a writer? Was that even a job? How did someone get to be a writer, anyway?"
ReplyDeleteI was the same way!
When I was little, I wanted to be a secret agent undercover as an illustrator. LOL
Lovely picture on your post, Talli.
ReplyDeleteI have been offline lately getting some writing done.
One of daughter's teachers told me once, that when children are ten, their natural instincts tend to be spot on when they choose a future career.
When I was 10, I wanted to be a writer. I should have listened to myself then, I could have cut out quite a lot of boring jobs inbetween, but then I'd probably have nothing to write about:)
The child in me wants to grow up and become an adult. The adult in me wants to be a kid again. We compromise by living in the now. :)
ReplyDeleteI never thought of writing poetry.
ReplyDeleteAs a child I was taught to play the piano and all I ever wanted to do was just that. Then I fell in love, got married had my family.
My first love was music and I still adore music, but situations drew me into writing poetry.
A strange world indeed.
Yvonne.
I actually did always want to be a writer. But I didn't know how. I thought it was too hard. So I became a waitress instead, and then a bartender, and a cook, then a chef, and then a caterer, and all that got to be too hard. So I stopped and became a writer.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't go back to the real world ever again, even if they paid me a gajillion dollars.
Glad I'm not the only writer who wasn't born with a keypad in hand! :)
ReplyDeleteAs a kid I wanted to be ... almost everything at one point or another. Still do actually! Wish life were longer!! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely at my happiest when I'm writing or singing. :-D
ReplyDeleteGreat post Talli! The child in me is a writer, always been. :) When I'm writing, I'm so,so happy. Wish I could earn the bucks with it : (
ReplyDeleteCheerios!
I wanted to be a stuntwoman. Until I got the form and had to say no, I didn't have any experience of riding a horse, skydiving, boxing, driving a car at breakneck speed etc... still fancy it though. Maybe its a job for one of my heroines? (runs off scribbling in notebook)
ReplyDeleteThinking back when I was younger I kept making up these elaborate houses with top notch security - iris recognition, cameras, key codes, cards - so I think little me harbored a desire to come up with security devices. Either that or a master criminals brain was forming! lol
ReplyDeleteI also considered teacher, lawyer or something to do with computing - none of these worked out lol.
Thanks for an enjoyable post.
I always wanted to work in a toy shop, funny I never applied for a job in one.Also to sing and dance on stage in musicals, slightly hindered by the fact I can't sing a note and I'm as stiff as a post oh well maybe in another life.
ReplyDeleteA ballet dancer, an opera singer, an ice cream vendor, a tennis player, a book seller...oh yes, I'd like to write too!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to pilot Concorde for years, had the cockpit posters, models,the lot. It's never going to happen now!
ReplyDeleteI always wrote, but didn't want to be a writer until these last few years. I wanted to be Greta Garbo and Karen Carpenter. They were so gothic.
ReplyDeleteGonna go grab that book!
I too love writing and making things up as a schoolchild and I adored reading books but I never even considered writing as a profession. I went into the medical progfession instead. But later in life I realised I had sold myself short doing things I didn't totally want to do. Hey ho... Thats life! But at least I can indulge myself now...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the mention, Talli. If anyone has any questions about my workshops they are very welcome to contact me via my website.
ReplyDeleteI originally wanted to be a nurse (when I was four) because I liked the uniform, or probably the cap part of it! Then I wanted to be a ballerina, and then an actress. After that I decided I wanted to be a poor writer, living on the Left Bank in Paris in some garret.
ReplyDeleteI gave up ballet (very young) and love writing, but as for the Left Bank, I'll have to just make the most of the occasional visit.
I think some of us only start to grow up when it's time to hit our second childhood! Among other things, I wanted to be an air hostess (didn't happen), a librarian (changed mind), then a nurse (until I worked in hospitals!). Much prefer being a writer!
ReplyDeleteI would like to be an artist. Could be a painter. Or computer animations. That's how I thought I would make a living. Somehow, I got into banking and finance. How the heck did that happen? Probably because it paid the bills. Maybe I'll have to go back but I hope not. I'm having too much fun writing.
ReplyDeleteLOL! Great post. I have a birthday coming up and I always tell my husband "It's my X birthday and I'm going to be really grown up now!" in a silly kid's voice and he sighs and says, "Yes you say that every year!" The answer to you question will appear in my tomorrows post later tomorrow morning after my RFW has had a little longer to air.
ReplyDeleteThe child in me has always wanted to be an author, since I was like eleven I think. Though I did detour and get lost for a while, I've found my way back. :)
ReplyDeleteI want my dolls back in my arms...but alas I may be having the empty nest syndrome!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link to your novella!
Oh yay for never growing up!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to be a writer... And a policewoman...and a teacher...
I want to be an astronaut or an archeologist or a ballerina or maybe all of those and own a horse ranch. There's more, but I've grown up a little, so I've had to trim my life goals a little. I hate growing up.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to be so many things when I was a kid. The main ones were lawyer, judge and police officer (mostly because of how cool they looked on TV.) Being a writer was always at the back of my mind back then. Still don't feel like I'm a grown-up even at *mumble mumble* years old! ;)
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I second that boo to student loans!
This post goes right to the heart of each of us. Truthfully I'm following the career path (at least trying) that I first dreamed up in 6th Grade!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to be a biologist. I did all the A levels, applied to Cambridge, then changed my mind at the last minute and switched to English. And now I have a big daughter who is doing biology at Oxford and I find I really, really want to be doing what she's doing. But of course all her friends think writing a bunch of lies and being paid for it is cooler than cutting squids. Fools. Both are good - there is no best thing to be!
ReplyDeleteThat wasn't a helpful answer, was it?