"You Are A Writer" - When did you know?

I am participating in the ‘Writing Contest: You Are A Writer’ held by Positive Writer - See more at: http://positivewriter.com/writing-contest-you-are-a-writer/#sthash.XtJrAKCB.dpuf

I saw this contest entitled "Writing Contest: You Are A Writer" held by Positive Writer and decided I wanted to give it a go.  It just sounds like so much fun!  Feel free to join in the fun if you so desire.  The rules detailing how to enter the contest are explained on the link above.

I am participating in the ‘Writing Contest: You Are A Writer’ held by Positive Writer - See more at: http://positivewriter.com/writing-contest-you-are-a-writer/#sthash.XtJrAKCB.dpuf

You Are A Writer - When Did You Know?

 I remember the moment very clearly.

I was in fourth grade.  I loved horses.  And all I wanted was to read a story about wild horses... from their perspective.  As if the horses themselves were telling the story.

So I visited our little library.  I remember opening the glass door and looking in at all the books... Big and small, thin and thick.  I have always loved to smell books, touch them, and feel them.  The words and ideas mesmerized me.  I soon learned how to look up books by certain authors and genres.  But try as I might, I could not find a book about wild horses telling their own story. 
 
One morning my teacher said, "Class, for the next few days we are going to learn to write a story of our own."  Right then I knew what I wanted to do!  I immediately started to write a story from the perspective of a wild stallion.  It was a project that I will never forget... I still have the little book.  I was so proud of it!  And that little story sparked a flame...

In middle school I was bullied.  It wasn't always in an obvious way... but it hurt and words cut so deeply.  I lost any shred of confidence I might have had and retreated into my own lonely world. My writing voice was taken from me.  I felt so alone and empty.

But in high school, things began to change.  I was introduced to the wide, adventurous world of fantasy and science fiction.  My writing voice came back, and I began to form a story that would become a trilogy.  Hundreds of pages in length and all my very own.  I became the copy editor for our high school newspaper.  I became vice president of a reading/writing club.  Writing helps me to express what I cannot say with the tongue.

But life happened.  I had to grow up and get a "real" job.  My trilogy from high school has been put on the back burner.  But yet, it is funny... writing still crops up in my life.  I am now a medical transcriptionist, so while I am not writing my own thoughts, I am still heavily involved with words and sentence structure.  And I began to realize I wanted to write again, and so, this blog was formed.  I couldn't be happier with it!  I don't make money writing, and my formal job title is not "writer".  But it is my hope that one day that cheesy old story from high school can come out in the light again and live.  It has always been my dream and someday, somehow, I hope it happens.  But no matter what, I will always be writing!  Nothing else helps me to understand and express my feelings better than writing them down.

So, you are a writer.  When did you know?