The First Piece

It always amazes me when I think back to the first piece of writing I ever wrote. The one that I could call my own, the characters included. And it always amazes me to see where I am now, versus back then.

The first book I ever wrote was more of a short story, rather than a novella or a novel. It fit in a notebook, and at the time I wrote rather big. I also didn't know anything about formatting, or how to show rather than tell. Truth be told, I didn't even know anything about plot other than the fact that I loved the events that took place in the many books I was reading.

I just knew that I wanted to tell my own stories, and that I was going to figure out how to do it. I just didn't know exactly what I was starting until years later down the line.

The first short story I ever wrote was very closely related to the Disney "Twitches" movie, and looking back, I'm assuming that was the movie that I was watching on repeat. Chances are, it was also around Halloween and it was one of the numerous movies that was on air every single day. There were a few differences between my short story and the movie, but it was definitely all too similar for me to ever do anything with.

There were two main characters, female twins. Whereas in "Twitches" the twins have necklaces that glow when the other is around or they are using their powers, the twins in mine had tattoos that they were born with. The symbols stayed the same at the sun and the moon, as I've always loved anything to do with outside. However, my twins were high school students.

The twins were torn apart when they were born, living two entirely different lives. One has a fend for herself, the other has had life handed to her at every step. Fate was the only thing that brought them together, and even then, they weren't sure who to trust- or if they should even trust each other.

With everything that's currently going on in her life, one of the twins turns to a journal that she used to keep when she was little. With never fully finishing every page, she continues her journal entries as though she never stopped, writing down everything she feels, sees and hears throughout the day. While writing her journal entries, she does her best to make sense of everything going on around her- never having an adults help unless she's at school, a twin sister she knew nothing about, a tattoo that she was born with that won't leave regardless of how many attempts she has to get it off.

The other twin, however, has always wanted to have a sibling as she grew up as an only child. She always wondered who her parents were, and who her biological family was- but she would never go looking. If they wanted to find her, they would She loved the family she was adopted into, and wouldn't trade them for anything- even if her birth parents came back into her life and wanted to take care of her now. She would love them, but she would never abandon her family she's known her entire life.

Beyond that, there was no sense of plot. And even then, I'm sure the way I worded it now is entirely different than how I had worded it back when I was eleven years old. But regardless, I'm sure that had I continued writing it, they even would have been princesses in another country. Nonetheless, it was the first piece I wrote that showed me what I wanted to do in life, and what I wanted from life.

I knew I wanted to be a writer. I wasn't sure that I wanted to be an author, but I knew that writing was something I loved to do. Between writing my "Twitches" spin-off short story, and rewriting the ending of one of my favourite books- I found something in life I never thought I would find, or that would take me years to find. I found my one true passion that will stay with me until I take my last breath.

When writing my first short story, I experienced so many emotions that I didn't know what to do. I wanted to write every chance I got just to finish it, and see what I did. I took my time, but made sure I included everything I wanted- all the way down to making sure I drew the images of things I wanted to describe.

Every since I wrote the short story, writing has become as familiar to me as breathing. It's consumed everything I am, and everything I will be, and I couldn't be happier. Writing a short story at eleven years old opened a door for me that I never knew existed, but that I am so thankful I got to go through. My manuscripts will always hold a special place in my heart, each for a different reason.

My "Twitches" spin-off just happens to hold an extra special place, as it was the first piece I ever wrote. It was the piece that made me who I am today.