What's your best experience being a writer?

[Rei19]

I remember back when I was in high school, writing random stories here and there. I was about 13-14 years old who loved reading typical teenage romance stories, so I wrote some of my own on a yellow pad paper. With twists I liked of course, like best friends discovering that they had mutual feelings only to lose the other to a car accident. Tragedies were my guilty pleasure.

I can't remember how it started exactly, but soon my yellow paper was passed back and forth between my classmates, and soon most of them began to ask me for more stories, or more "chapter updates". I would sometimes find myself hounded by my friends to make the main couple end up together already for goodness' sake, or being vented on for making the girl die in the end, etc. Those were the fun times, and I even recall some of my guy classmates (even the serious ones) asking to read the story I was writing on my notebook. I think that was the time when I discovered that I loved writing more than anything else in the world, and that it was rewarding to see the joy in my classmates' faces when they read my works.

What about you guys? I'm curious to know the moments when you realized that writing is your passion, or even the times when you felt that you were so happy you wrote stories for other people's enjoyment. If you'd like to share some fun, heartwarming experiences, you can post here. I'd love to hear about them

Anyway, I just wanted to get this out of my head. The nostalgia was kind of overwhelming~ I hope all of you are having a great day so far!

[IndigoShirtProd]

When I was about 11 or so, I wrote a story in a school notebook. It was pretty bad. Chapters were paragraphs and I didn't follow correct capitalization rules. Around this time, I was writing a bunch of angsty stuff in my school notebooks but that story was the first real story I wrote with a beginning, middle and end. And a theme! (i think) Everything else I wrote around that time were poems and short prose. What made it so important was that I was showing to a close friend at the time and she was so encouraging and kind about reading it. She made me want to write more and I am very thankful towards her.

If you want to know what the story was about, it was a sci-fi drama about a girl who kidnapped by aliens, modified into a malicious android and sent back to Earth to cause fear and havoc, priming the plant for invasion. However, in the end she chooses her original home over the aliens and defeats the evil queen of the aliens. The day is saved by the powerpuff--- I mean this girl named Catherine. The story was called: The Day the Earth was Betrayed and is was not as dramatic as it sounds.

I still like the story concept and with a little reworking, I think I could make something out of it.

[Rei19]

Wow, friends like that are really encouraging! And omg your story sounds really interesting! It's kinda similar to a script for an epic movie, no joke. If you want, you should try reworking it. I'd love to read it when you post

[punkarsenic]

maybe the first few poetry slams i won? im very off slam at the moment, but it was a time when i realised that i could write things that people not only understood but were moved by. my success in slam fueled a lot of my confidence and motivation in all other forms of storytelling

[Rei19]

Wow, that achievement is amazing! I'm not a poetry person, but I've read some that moved my heart~
It's really great to hear that your success made you feel confident in yourself. You deserve it.

[DasIstWunderblyat]

I have slightly more success by making art than writing (at least I have won several contests and had my comic featured on a national newspaper), and people know me more for my drawing. I started writing more seriously just recently, so I have nothing to brag and be proud of.

Somebody being interested in my work (may it be as a reader or editor) is good enough for my soul. It can be people being engrossed in my story, finding a deeper meaning of my poetry, or willing to help me to improve my work. I might sound pathetic but it's the little thing.

[Drewbie]

i wrote a pokemon fanfiction on wattpad and it has a few thousand views. I'm too ashamed to show it to people but too proud of its following to delete it (Its about the trainers not the pokemon)

[Rei19]

Omg that's awesome! Congrats for winning those contests
Ah, it doesn't really sound pathetic at all! It's the little things that matter, and it's great that you're starting to write seriously. I myself began to take art seriously about two years ago, so my heart swells with happiness whenever people tell me they like my works.
Keep on going with your writing and best of luck to you!

[Rei19]

I've been meaning to watch Pokemon for a long, long while now but I never got to it because I kept on procrastinating. But anyway, it's great that you have a few thousand views already! That's no small feat, that's for sure. I'm sure you deserve that following and I know you put your heart into creating that story. Kudos to you!

[Drewbie]

It haunts me to this day but thx.

[Maps]

I remember in fifth grade they made us all write about something we enjoyed to submit it into a contest. I was never the smart kid in class, always very average, but I wrote this story about horseback-riding (yeah I was a horse kid) and remember playing around with adding a lot of descriptors.
We were at an awards assembly and I had completely forgotten about these submissions (it felt like homework we HAD to do so it was forgettable). I was sitting there and suddenly my name was called for second place for the writing competition. I was totally shocked and I’m pretty sure I had to look at what I even wrote to be reminded about what it was I had done to get an award lol.
Then when I chose English as my major in college and never got below a 3.6 (and also got a 4.0!) I knew that I found something I enjoyed doing and was fairly good at.
Now I write because it makes me all giddy inside to do it.

[OttoGruenwald]

I had a phone conversation with Scott Snyder once over a comparison between his character Perpetua and First Firmament from Ultimates. It was certainly the weirdest moment of my life.

[Rei19]

Oh! That's seriously awesome! It must've felt great and fulfilling to receive that unexpected reward. Also, wow, an English major. From what you've written here, it really shows that you're enjoying writing and that it's your passion, and it's admirable. Keep on going and being more amazing~

[Rei19]

Oh gosh, I don't think I can relate since I don't know any of those you mentioned. It sounds a bit funny when you say it like that, though. XD

[OttoGruenwald]

Scott Snyder is the guy writing the Justice League comic. Ultimates was a Marvel comic by Al Ewing.

[Maps]

Thank you for your kind and encouraging words!

[Rei19]

Omg now I know! Curse my obliviousness, lmao

[Penni]

I think finishing my first two novels have been my best experience. I was discouraged from writing as a kid so I only got back into it a couple of years ago. Thanks to the Tapas community, I've finished two novels now. Being one of the winners for the Writers Camp last year was awesome too. I went in with no expectations of winning and now I'm editing chapters for that story to go Premium as we speak. I've learned a lot since being here and it's grown my confidence to the point that I want to start looking for an agent soon

[Drewbie]

Congrats on getting premium! I've read a couple of chapters of What Lies Within and I really like it

[Penni]

Aw thank you