Follow

I have to admit that I’ve always had a little trouble with reality.  Maybe that’s why I love to write, to immerse myself in a world of fantasy.  Even when I’m writing a non-fiction piece (like the one you’re reading) I’m shaping the narrative into a story by choosing what to put in, and what to leave out.  We can’t do that in real life! But what really shaped me into a writer is a combination of things, including disappointments and loss.  I was fortunate to have parents who surrounded my brother and me with a rich library of children’s books when we were growing up.  But neither my mother or my father saw any special talent in me, or any possibility of what I might become.  No one was paying attention.  Oddly enough, this worked in my favor.   While my brother was busy collecting insects and butterflies for his growing collection, I was dreaming about escaping to the land of Oz.  (My brother is now a happy … Read on