It is a beautiful art form. One almost as old as man himself. With all this time we spend evolving concurrently, you think we would all have become masters at such a thing. And yet, it remains niche and is only partoke by those with a knack of this fine art. Or perhaps, they’re just curious. I am, of course, talking about writing. The fine art of placing thoughts and ideas onto a page to make something truly wonderful.

I like to group my writings into a couple distinct phases. Replicate, Shawn, Post-Shawn, Wanderer, and original. That may not make sense now, but I assure you, it will eventually. The first stage of my writing beginning early on.

In my days at elementary school, books mystified me as much as why the grass was green, and the sky blue. Being a naive little child, I was curious as to how these books were made. I actually believed that someone, the author maybe, would meticulously write each letter of every word with a sharpie marker. It was a time much simpler than now, and also the start of a great journey. A journey with no clear destination. I wanted to write a book. Though I had little idea how to do so.

My initial strategy would have proved, controversial to say the least had I actually published the things I had written. I took heavy inspiration from the things I had read, and the authors I admired. I would try my hand at replicating their style, and trying to make it sound as legitimate as possible. Of course, by “replicating”, I actually mean basically copying their story with a little bit of a twist to it. I had yet to create my own style, and was only writing in someone else's. Therefore, it lost something very important. A voice all it’s own. Everything that I had written in this period suffered from the same problems. Lack of inspiration and original ideas, rushed introduction, confusing and nonsensical dialogue. Given, it was my first attempt at writing a story, and every once and awhile, I’ll pull up one of these stories to get a good laugh or two.

The first story I ever wrote, dubbed the “Cave of Fotia” fotia being the greek word for fire, was inspired by Rick Riordan’s “The Lightning Thief”. A story that I heavily enjoyed. It’s a great example of my early style in writing. Everything from the greek mythology, to the introduction was heavily influenced by Riordan’s work. It was the first stage of my writing, and while I’m not proud of it, it’s an important part of my history as a writer.

Your past endeavors should not be forgotten, nor left in the dark for no one to see. If so, what was the point of writing them? You’d learn nothing from this. They should be shown, so that the author can proudly say, “This is the work that I once did. It isn’t great, but I’m better now for it”. It can be used as an example to show just how much you have improved. It’s the constant that will stay the same, as you learn and advance. That is what is so great about writing. No matter how inept you may be at wielding that fictional pen to paper, you will still improve. My previous works are certainly proof of that.

It would take until my eighth grade for me to define my style with the debut of my first short story, “The True Story of Shawn the Shanker”. Yes I know. Call me childish and perhaps even insane. Despite being in middle school, I was still a kid at heart. I laughed at pretty much everything, regardless of whether it was funny or not. I was exactly the kind of person to write a story of this caliber. In terms of storytelling, characters development and originality. The difference is too great to even consider. However, it still retained the whimsical and nonsensical comedy. Compared to any of “my” previous works, I grew to love this one. Perhaps to a degree unhealthy for a writer.

No matter how hard you try, your works will inevitably be compared to those that preceded them. All you can do it trust that what you write gets better over time. However, for me it seemed so much harder to write something else. I compared what I wrote to my first work, agonizing over every detail to make it perfect. Holding it to the a standard much higher than what I originally wrote.

As a result, anything I wrote after seemed far too similar to my previous work to be considered original. The beginning of the post shawn phase. I wanted so desperately to write something better. Something more than what I actually could achieve. My first work had become an infallible thing that I always compared to, but never managed to reach. I would write, and say “That’s good, but not as good as my first work”. It takes the foresight I have now to know my original work has flaws. Even with rose tinted glasses, I have come to understand that the story is still flawed.

I needed a way out. A way to escape this endless loop. The way I did it? It was actually very simple. By writing a story that took place in the same world. In other words, a sequel. I could retain the style without judgment, while utilizing the new skills I had learned from the first. It felt so natural wiring in the way that I once did. And while I never finished that sequel, it was for good reason. There were so many new ideas I had that I wanted to write more. It helped me escape my writer’s block. So, maybe someday I’ll go back and finish it as a thank you for helping me get out of a troubling time.

In this period of time, my work was still childish and was ultimately meant to make the reader laugh. However, I was no longer satisfied with just comedy. I wanted to expand my horizons, and write something serious. Though given the fact that I am just about the least serious person in the entire world. So, I took to my older brother’s book “We All Fall Down”. I tried writing things in the same universe as that book, and was rather proud of myself. I was now actually replicating his style, not copying. My own unique style had been mixed into these works. I am actually fairly proud, and would openly let anyone read them if they are so inclined to do so. I assure you this is not the case with my older works.

Finally, we approach the stage that I currently reside. Original. It is exactly what it sounds like. The forthcoming or original ideas not based of anything prior. I feel I should mention that my first work was actually very loosely based off a TV show I really liked. I often find myself believing this to be the hardest stage for me. I tend to be a huge procrastinator, so if I come up with an idea, nine times out of ten I will never finish it. When I don’t base my ideas off something, I found myself lost with no frame of reference. Though perhaps this is for the better. Otherwise, how will I grow as an author.

Writing is very polarizing. Sometimes, I feel an exhilaration unlike anything I have every experience when writing. Other times, it even seems as if I would sooner do the dishes, than write. Perhaps, I like the challenge, or maybe I like to write. I haven’t come to an answer, but I hope I will soon.

It is a beautiful art form. One almost as old as man himself. With all this time we spend evolving concurrently, you think we would all have become masters at such a thing. And yet, it remains niche and is only partoke by those with a knack of this fine art. Or perhaps, they’re just curious. I am, of course, talking about writing. The fine art of placing thoughts and ideas onto a page to make something truly wonderful.

I sure hope I can, someday.