Dreams Do Come True

Dreams Do come  True

         When I was only six years old, I announced to anyone who would listen, “I’m going to be a writer.” I was given a smile and a pat on the head. No one believed my dream would come true. But I wrote stories about animals every chance I had. When I was in the fifth grade, my teacher praised me as the others that came later. My yearbook is full of entries like,"Keep on Writing!" I have.

         In High School, I wrote a lot of short stories about every little thing. My favorite subject was a pony I rode and our adventures. I also wrote about dogs, cats, friends, and other subjects. I just loved to write. The more I wrote, the more I wanted to write. I even loved to write term papers so much, I wrote a lot of them --- don't tell!

         Time went by and I wrote letters, articles for local papers, SPCA and other newsletters. I attended a local college and was the Assistant Editor of The Trident Times. That gave me a tuition waver and I took almost all of the classes offered. I missed Accounting, but I hated math anyway. I wanted to write and work with animals.

         One day, as I was changing the parrot cage, something caught my eye. It was an ad for a feature writer at a newspaper, “The Nashville Graphic.” I called and landed an interview that afternoon. Hal, the Editor, gave me an assignment. I had to write about a small church’s history. It was a snap.

         When Hal read my story, I was hired and put to work the next day. He showed me to my desk, phone and computer. It was next to a window, which was a real perk. I started working right away. Hal gave me some assignments and I came up with some really good stories on my own.

         I attended award banquets, festivals, meetings, school functions and even a murder trial or two. The readers sent me cookies, cakes, fan letters and even phone calls. They all said they liked the way I wrote, just the facts, no controversy, which is what Hal wanted. The readers couldn't stand Hal, but he came from a good family and almost all of the Nash County residents dutifully read "The Nashville Graphic."

         I always write about what is true and never judge or make fun of anyone. I made sure my quotes were accurate and generally loved my job as staff writer/reporter/photographer. As time passed quickly, I was becoming more and more popular. I wrote feature stories about schools and kid's ballgames and judged a Pumpkin Carving Contest with the Kiwanas Club. I even had my own column and wrote about my animal stories, just like now. Only they were not the same. I have hundreds of animal stories.

         After over five years working for the Graphic, Hal, with tears in his eyes, told us the bad news. The owners of the paper sold out to a larger newspaper over 40 miles away. Plus the 20 miles to work, I couldn’t drive that far. So I went back to the farm and continued my writing while I took care of my many animals on the big 15 acre farm and catfish pond.
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         Now that I belong to “Writing.com,” my dream is coming true again. I have been writing about subjects I find interesting, entering contests, learning my grammar and spelling and reading the work of others. “Writing.com” sometimes feels like a creative writing class, and I love to go to school. I really love what I am doing and my dream has come through. This time I will keep on writing!