When the Storytelling Starts

Most of us can remember when we first got bitten by the writing bug. I came to it late in life, not until I was almost 30. Growing up, I never thought I’d be a writer. No, I wanted to be an artist. I was more interested in illustrating the books than penning them. While I didn’t end up painting romance cover Fabios, I did study art in college and worked as a graphic designer for over 14 years.

But if I’m truly honest, the storytelling started much earlier, probably when I was about 7 or 8. I can remember lying in bed at night in the room I shared with my younger sister. In order to get her to go to sleep, I would tell her “Jackie Stories.” Every night without fail, I’d make up a story about the misadventures of Jackie, Michelle and poopy-diaper Darlene, 3 little girls who lived up the street who ran around the yard like half-dressed wild things. Little did I know that would be when the storytelling would start for me, even if it did hibernate for twenty years before sparking to life again.

Do I remember any of those stories now? No. But my sister told my kids about them and every now and then, my own children drift off to sleep to a new installment of the “Jackie Stories.” Needless to say, their personal favorite character is Darlene and her poopy diapers.

So when did your storytelling start?