As someone that loves to write, besides being an English teacher, my dream is to also become a bestselling author. Since I was in middle school, this dream has been something I have thought about continuously. If I had an idea for a book, I would immediately write it down in my plot notebook, which is now almost completely filled. These ideas range from young adult (YA) to children’s stories, mainly focused on diverse and inclusive settings. Lauren Passell lists in her article “Stephen King’s Top 20 Rules For Writers,” that rule number 1 mentions writing for yourself first. What this means is, while a good writer should keep their audience in mind, in creative fiction, an audience should not control the story. My stories are a reflection of my ideas and what I want to see turned into reality. My audiences are my reviewers and could even be my editors, however, they are not the narrators. I want to write what makes me happy, without worrying about trying to please everyone.
That being said, as Doris Lessing points out in her article, “On not winning the Nobel Prize,” oftentimes society doesn’t truly value literature when they are privileged enough to have it. There will always be people who will criticize my work or walk past it in a bookstore because they can simply “get it later” or it’s “not their cup of tea.” Being that my society is lucky enough to have access to amazing works of literature and education, I want to take advantage of those resources. Rather than waste my time writing for other people, I want to write for myself. My books may not match everyone’s taste, but it would be a dream come true for me, and hopefully serve as inspiration for another future author.
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