Closet Writer?

I have been a closet writer since the first time I read The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis when I was a child. I started writing adventure stories when I was 8, involving all of my fourth grade classmates embarking on perilous journeys through bizarre fantastical worlds, as well as the occasional mall or amusement park. Every time that I was assigned to a one page writing assignment by my remarkably ogreish* 4th grade teacher Mrs. K (usually requiring the use of the weekly spelling words in context), I would write a 4-5 page exposition that would take my classmates and I on a brand new quest to discover the cure for Homeworkitis, or battling Bandaid Banditos on the open plains of CountryClubLand.

I have always enjoyed writing, but one thing that I perhaps enjoyed more, was reading novels or particularly entertaining opinion pieces. I have a rather embarrassing weakness for young adult fantasy literature, like the Harry Potter series (by J.K. Rowling) as well as the Eragon Series (by Christopher Paolini). I find young-adult novels to be a little less sophisticated and easier to digest that the typical adult novel. However, I do read a fair amount of adult non-fiction, and growing up, I read quite a bit of suspense literature, written by the likes of Stephen King and Dean Koontz. Reading and Writing are both activities that I am excited to delve into more deeply this semester.

Jason Miller