My Literary Moment

I might just catch a case (charged with aggravated assault) or be committed to Grady’s 13th floor Mental Health ward, if another person asks the question, “What are you in school for now?” Well I may have traveled a long road to arrive at my present destination enrolled at Kennesaw State University majoring in English; but, I say today, it is definitely a road well-traveled. I am as eager to learn as the average high school graduate is ready to pursue adulthood.

My mother’s only rule when I was in high school was that I attend college, so I enrolled in Morris Brown College in Atlanta.  Since I was forced into a life of college, I chose a major that I thought would allow me to make a good living. I studied Information Processing. The entire time I thought this was related to business management, but I later learned it was computer science major.  After ten months of pure torture and boredom, I politely dropped out of college.

Eighteen years, seven majors, two certificates of training, and one Associates degree later, I finally had an “Aha” moment. I thought to myself there had to be a major that I could incorporate into my everyday life and passions that also use to would allow me to and also make an honest living. I began to analyze my days, weeks, and years to help guide me in the direction I deemed fit. This consisted of my watching the Food Network everyday all day, entertaining friends and family from recipes from the shows. I never really considered becoming a chef but maybe “The Next Food Network Host.”  I would read a book every two days or so. This, in between raising children, ignoring a husband, and working for part-time pay with full-time hours.

My first readings and my love and appreciation for books began with my elementary school’s annual book fair. The only problem was that I only read when it was mandatory.
When I did start reading, I was always fascinated by Judy Blume’s books because they seem to relate to me and my friends.  I thought Are you there GOD it’s me Margaret? was about my best friend whose name was Margaret. I thought the book was about her, and she didn’t want people to know. That piqued my need to read the book in its entirety. Blume’s books were required readings in my 4^th and 5^th grade classes. I can’t recall any other books that I actually read until 1997.  That is when I read Your Blues Ain’t like Mine and that’s what started the ball rolling. This book had me considering becoming a writer.  I began an nontraditional book club. The club didn’t require meetings of other readers, and or there weren’t any assigned books for a group to read.  The only rule of the club was that when I completed the book I passed it on to someone whom I knew the ending would spark thoughts.

After having discussions with individuals about the novel, I began to dream or recall conversations my mother and her sisters would have about books they had read.  Sort of a déjà vu experience.   Every year we would all gather at my grandparent’s home for a variety of reasons. It could be a holiday, a family reunion or one of my grandparents’ birthday celebrations. At all of these gatherings, my mother and her sisters would gather in the “girls” room talking about anything and everybody. But what I remember most is their interpretation of the book “Flowers in the Attic” all of them had read the novel. At this time I was thinking “How could they be so amused or interested about reading?” At the time I was probably eleven or twelve years old. But the imagery they used to describe this attic caught my attention. The attic was similar to the never-visited attic in my grandparents’ home. The novel’s description given by each of my aunts was haunting.  From that day forth I never slept in the “girls” room alone in fear of the character from The Flowers in the Attic locking me in the attic, too. This was the beginning of my imaginative years.

Over the years, I have purchased journals, given journals, and written in my journals with the hope of writing a prize-winning novel about my life. I often wondered where the urge to read and write began. My mother has thousands of books on her book shelves and has become a well-rounded reader. I have introduced her to the genre of novels I enjoy reading. She’s now practically hooked like an addict on drugs, a fish on a line, or a coat on the door. She’s there. Even my aunts are reading the novels I recommend. They once all thought these books had no content or structure. In the past five years, the urban genre of fiction has been in huge demand among readers. Triple Crown Publishing, Urban Books, Mass Market Paperback and showing authors like Sister Souljah, Terri Woods, Nikki Turner, Bebe Moore Campbell have been all been inspirations for other writers to have an outlet to display their work in fiction.

Working in the entertainment industry with Artist Management, a paralegal and real estate development has helped me form characters and ideas for various topics for novel. Also, I have learned that some of my regrets as well as disappointments in life made me want to learn about various writing techniques. I originally thought my communication major would help me find the outlet for my thoughts, specifically in music or film. After enrolling in various courses as a Media Studies major, I became lost, not creative or alive. I then began to research on my own what I wanted to do with my life to really be happy and content.

I compared my love for the Spanish Culture, passion to write and desire to read new novels, and my desire to graduate from college sooner than later. I researched and advised myself through the school’s handbook of courses and majors. I examined what a major in English would help me do.  The English major requires you to read and be able to write in a majority of all courses. This was my moment, the moment that was the hammer hitting the nail in to the wall on which hang  my diploma  My first English course required reading from 19th century to 20th century. The broad variety of reading has only made me desire the English major.  They took me to places and situations I had never experienced. I was able to see through the eyes of other cultures such as Native American men and women, a Mexican girl, and a depressed white man.  The English major will allow me to broaden my horizon to different cultures, people, times, and places. I have already begun to document my life through my journals. I have truths to be told and sold! Hopefully, I, too, may become the topic for English major class someday.