I have always loved to write, especially creative writing because you can bend grammar rules and insert your personality into the voids. I've never been one to march in the wake of rules or willing to hide in the shadows of what anyone thinks I should be. The majority of my life I have described myself in those terms- silently. We all have that thing we can say without apology that we are great at- writing is mine. I know that sounds conceited to most people- but I am ok with that. Some don't like my colorful sailor language, my propensity to tell it how I see it and my lack of a censor. I am ok with that, too. What I write is who I see in the mirror- an on the edge of 40, trudging through life without my sweet daughter by my side, plunging into a dream with The Man head first, unapologetic woman. Writing has brought me to this place in the sun that allows me to live that description of me- the picture I just sketched with words is now a true portrait of myself. Cat- the one who lives out loud and sprinkles the colors of the day with sparkling cuss words, humor and butt hurt. 
I wish I had some of the things I wrote when I was a kid but privacy in my room or my thoughts wasn't a luxury I was afforded. Often I would stay up late writing my thoughts, happenings and dreams- then promptly flush them down the toilet before they could be discovered and interrogated. I think I would have never been anything but a writer had I had the encouragement of my words to reflect on. To push me forward. As we all find out in life, our destiny is littered with trash to step over, obstacles to maneuver around and tragedies to overcome and heal from. I suspect I wouldn't have much perspective to write from had I not been in those hurricanes of trust and deceit. Catastrophic weather that noone should have to live through and with, memories that still creep out at night and challenge my trust in humanity. They provide the courage to write and hold myself and my thoughts out to the world knowing everyone will not appreciate me and some will wish me to tumble away with the wind. They prop me up with the confidence to know that I have lived through the worste and noone can take aim well enough to stop my pen now.Writing is my comforting, fuzzy blanket that I wrap around myself every morning. We share a hot cup of coffee and giggle that we defeated the boogie man once again and have survived another nightmare with our humor in tact. We awake to see another day of sunlight flooding the wood floor with the yellow and warm that entices the words from my head and lays them gently- and sometimes in a thundering slam- onto the pages that trap the ink and create a memory. That is why I am a writer.
Judges Comments:
"I had to read this three times, and I am shocked. Not a single 'naughty' word! But I think it did this post a lot of good, because it shows that you take writing very seriously. It did feel like it was lacking a little something though... maybe a little back story on WHY you started writing, or explanation on why you felt like you had to hide it when you were younger? But still... it was a great post!"
Heather Reese, My Husband Ate All My Ice Cream
"The word that sprang immediately to my mind was 'literary'. I had to read the post a few times too, but that was mainly because it felt like I was slogging my way through it the first time.
While Heather is absolutely correct that the post is very deep, it's not something that a lot of readers are going to find memorable simply because it was so much effort trying to get through it.
Cut up your paragraphs a bit more to let the eye flow through better. I would also recommend trying to throw in humor and more of a conversational tone instead of a list style of writing [which is how this came across to me].
But you nailed the assignment."
Allison Duncan, SVALLIE.NET: The Nerd Connection
"I completely agree with Heather. As I was reading it, I was thinking "Ok, so this is why she writes NOW, but why did she start?" I get the impression that it has to do with your childhood, but I think you could have elaborated on that a bit more. Definitely enjoyed the read though. Good job!"
Amy, Non-Stop Mom
"I agree with Heather, I had to look at the name of the poster again after I started reading because it was so 'clean'.
This post also left me with unanswered questions: Why did you flush your writings as a child? What prompted you to put pen to paper?"
T. Rojas, from Motherhood: The Definition of Insanity
Judges Comments:
"I had to read this three times, and I am shocked. Not a single 'naughty' word! But I think it did this post a lot of good, because it shows that you take writing very seriously. It did feel like it was lacking a little something though... maybe a little back story on WHY you started writing, or explanation on why you felt like you had to hide it when you were younger? But still... it was a great post!"
Heather Reese, My Husband Ate All My Ice Cream
"The word that sprang immediately to my mind was 'literary'. I had to read the post a few times too, but that was mainly because it felt like I was slogging my way through it the first time.
While Heather is absolutely correct that the post is very deep, it's not something that a lot of readers are going to find memorable simply because it was so much effort trying to get through it.
Cut up your paragraphs a bit more to let the eye flow through better. I would also recommend trying to throw in humor and more of a conversational tone instead of a list style of writing [which is how this came across to me].
But you nailed the assignment."
Allison Duncan, SVALLIE.NET: The Nerd Connection
"I completely agree with Heather. As I was reading it, I was thinking "Ok, so this is why she writes NOW, but why did she start?" I get the impression that it has to do with your childhood, but I think you could have elaborated on that a bit more. Definitely enjoyed the read though. Good job!"
Amy, Non-Stop Mom
"I agree with Heather, I had to look at the name of the poster again after I started reading because it was so 'clean'.
This post also left me with unanswered questions: Why did you flush your writings as a child? What prompted you to put pen to paper?"
T. Rojas, from Motherhood: The Definition of Insanity