What is your earliest memory of writing, or the age you were when you wrote your first piece?

[Guest]

I was 7, I wrote my mom a story for Mother's Day, entitled The Well. (It was a romance )

[Rebecca]

When I was eight, my grandma's birthday and Eastern were only a week apart. I didn't know what to get her, so I got this idea, to write her a story. Wish I'd know, how I came up with it. I know, that it was the first time I could write something down, beeing in the second half of first grade, you know? I've been told, I made up stories way before that and acted them all out. I probably got bored with the fairytales. I knew them all by heart. But I didn't like reading until I was about 11.

[Lauren]

I was writing from probably about age 6, making up stories. But I didn’t start doing it properly until age 10.

[Kimberly]

I wrote and illustrated a "magazine" for dogs. It was pretty cool! I was around 8.

[Suzanne]

I started writing stories when I was eight. Started writing chapters when I was 12. Finished my first novel when I was 14. Been writing ever since.

[Lynne]

I was 7 and I wrote little playlets which my teacher the following year used to let me produce for the class on a Friday afternoon. A couple of years later I wrote a story about a dinosaur called Gluggle Buggle which I illustrated with tracings of Dino from a Flintstones picture story book.

[Dawn]

I won a writing award in 1st grade. It was about the baby harp seals. It was about three sentences. “Please don’t kill the baby seals. It makes their mommies sad. They don’t hurt you so why should you hurt them?” (I came across it a few years back and committed it to memory as proof that, truly, everyone starts somewhere.

[Diane]

I was 7 when I wrote a story and asked my mother to type it for me. I drew pictures and bound it between cardboard covers. Tho my mother said she caught me writing on the wall when I was in my crib once.

[Marvin]

Couldn't read and write as a child. Was same in early teenage years. My first attempt at writing must have been made in college, probably when I turned 18.

[Peachy]

I can't say even after getting quite for several minutes and and jogging my memory I'd be able to come up with a specific piece. I can say I remember the feelings I felt keeping while keeping occupied in my room as a only child. After playing with dolls, make believe ect... I'd lay on the bed or floor with my crayons and draw an innocent, endearing expression of love towards my parents. I'd remember being so proud and receiving affection and praise for having come up with a pictures and words that were looked upon as a masterpiece on construction paper.

[Alyssa]

Goodness, I think I was six and it was for school. About a bunny who was kidnapped by a dragon and her friends came to rescue her.

Pretty sure they refused her by telling the dragon that it was not 'being nice'.

Outside of that I remember actively engaging in scenes in my head while playing outside.

At one point I was leading a shadow army against the invading tree people.

[Angela]

I wrote my best friend Sammie a poem when I was 5. It was titled Bestest Frends Froever and i wrote it on a painting of a sailboat. No, that is not a typo. I mispelled the words in the poem.

[Addie]

When I was 12 I wrote a novel called "The Fairytale Murders" where outrageously named sorority sisters were picked off one by one in fairytale style deaths by a mysterious stranger. I illustrated it myself. I still have it.

At the time it was not supposed to be a comedy. It's hilarious though.

[Shannon]

At 5 I wrote a (very poorly illustrated by yours truly) basic picture book and insisted it was placed in the school book corner. I thought I was a very cool author with my little non-book.

[Kerri]

When I was in second grade, I wrote a story about getting a horse named Draft who had a rainbow mane and tail. There were evil teddy bears with glowing red eyes in the beginning, but then I never mentioned them again. XD