Hey there, readers. Has it been forever since I’ve written a column, or what? If I’m being honest, it’s more due to my bad habit of procrastinating almost everything rather than my not-so-busy schedule. I do apologize, and I’ve already prepared for future columns so as to maintain at least some consistency.
If you’ve read any of our recent issues, however, you already know I’ve been writing/working for the Star Eagle again. I’ve had some of you comment on my articles when I’m out and about the community, and we even received a couple hand-written letters complimenting articles and the paper in general. I can’t express how great it is to hear your kind words! I don’t think I could ask for better motivation – thank you.
Other than my change of employment (I’m no longer working in Clarks Grove or Ellendale, mainly because of the distance), life has been pretty monotonous for a while, and I’m more than ready to stop running in place. I’ll be 21 in August – the 23rd in case you’d like to send a gift. . . just kidding! – and it’s time to do something with my life.
It’s not like I’ve done nothing, but I’ve wanted to go back to school for a long time, so the plan is to finally get there next year. I’ll be starting at a local community college, as my performance at the end of my high school years was less-than-satisfactory, and not even close to the ability I have and the standards I hold myself to.
After generals, I’ll most likely transfer to a four-year school. I say “most likely” because I’m still not 100 percent sure what I want for a career, but I think something involving writing will be a good fit. I’m leaning toward journalism; I already have experience, and I feel that with more education, I could potentially go far with my writing.
I’m often asked why I want to be a writer. It wasn’t a decision that I made one day; ever since I can remember, I’ve enjoyed reading and writing. In kindergarten, I asked my teacher if I could read a book to the class, because I was so proud that I was able to read the whole thing. She agreed, and after that she had a sign-up sheet for anyone who wanted to read a book of their choice to the class, which went over surprisingly well.
In second grade, I discovered the “Junie B. Jones” books by Barbara Park, and loved them so much that I made my own “book” with a similar style but my own characters and setting, complete with illustrations.
When I was in fourth grade, I made my own newspaper – on Word Pad, it wasn’t fancy by any means – which I’m slightly embarrassed by. My dad was impressed, though, and even took copies of it to the Albert Lea Tribune, where he was a sportswriter before buying the Star. After that, writing was just one of my hobbies. Countless hours were spent writing stories when I was younger, which I never even considered might be out of the ordinary. It was just fun.
To this day, I have yet to find anything that comes more naturally to me than writing. Not only do I enjoy it; I’m fairly confident with my writing ability, which is rare for me, as I’ve always been my own worst critic. I just can’t really see myself doing anything else.
