I started writing seriously when I was in junior high school. My first poem was published in the local newspaper. In high school I wrote for the school paper and became the editor in my Junior year.

There are a lot of stories in my head. Writing fiction means that you create people and their worlds. Many of them I’ve written and shared. The characters become close friends and mentors. The stories become vividly real. As they develop, they take on a unique format. Some are print on pages. Some are film. Some are plays.

I’ve never had a story come to me that didn’t come as a format. It never felt that it was up to me to control that. The stories presented challenges for me to hone the skills in various styles of writing.

It was just in the last few years that I discovered what that meant to think of myself as a professional writer. It’s a much more difficult job than I ever imagined.  I’ve learned a lot from Emma Lea.