Many of my friends were surprised when I "stepped out from behind the curtain" as a writer two years ago. Little did they know of the boxes and boxes of journals and story notes from the past 30+ years I had tucked away all over the house. Some pals remembered my playwriting days and were baffled that my focus was now on young adult stories.
Why did I finally step up to the writing plate and start swinging again? Two reasons – Melissa and Cameron, my kids had become teenagers. Suddenly I was immersed in the sticky tangled world of teens, and it was fantastic. Conflict, love, confusion, angst, invincibility, frustration, and madness had landed on my doorstep and I could no longer resist the pull of my own teen memories.
FEMALE:
Why doesn’t ______________ like me?
Can I have some gas money?
What’s wrong with my hair?
Can I have money for the movies?
Why won’t you let me wear this?
Why do I have to be home by midnight?
I’ll never finish this homework.
Can I have money for dinner?
You said no phone calls after 10:00pm – not texts.
Why is Facebook taking so long to load?
Can I have money to buy a new ringtone?
I don’t have any clothes.
Can I use your credit card for iTunes?
MALE:
I’m wearing it again because it’s not dirty.
What homework?
Do we have anything to eat?
I’m not on Facebook.
Can I have money for a new World of Warcraft game card?
I don’t need a job. I’ll just eat at home.
My room is not a mess. I know where everything is.
My teachers don’t give homework.
There isn’t anything to eat in this house.
Can I have money for a new X-Box controller?
Your car isn’t that dirty. I’ll wash it next week.
I looked in the freezer. There wasn’t anything good to eat in there.
I can’t get a job. I have too much homework.
With inspiration like this, how could I keep my fingers away from the keyboard? It's all in fun. I will be forever grateful to my kids for giving me the spark to re-enter the world of writing.
