I love writing for the youth. As a child, my favorite pastime was setting up a blackboard in front of the TV room and doodling with my favorite colored chalk. Well, the point was to teach whatever came to mind to my sister and cousins. The leftover chalk powder on my skin and clothes afterward reminded me I had fulfilled my role, and when teacher Kelly was in charge, she was seriously in business.
This make-believe transported me to wonderful places. Places I knew I could never be in other than through the power of imagination. But not only that. This childlike curiosity, which lives inside many of us, grew stronger in me. I realized I had something to share. Not quite sure what. But one thing I knew for certain: that my imagination was already running wild.
By the time I saw myself in college working on a project on Goethe's theory of colors, in a degree program unrelated to writing, I felt a spark deep in my heart. Something unusual, but good nonetheless. At that point, I didn’t know I wanted to be a writer (though reading and writing were already two of my favorite hobbies). But I figured that spark would come in handy for me later. So, I kept that in the closet.
Sure enough. Fast forward ten years, and I indeed fulfilled that childhood dream. I became a teacher and worked with little ones— a feat that brought good fruits, like immersing myself in the world of children's literature. But that was short-lived. It quickly became clear that I had more in me than that.
From there, slowly and unconsciously, interwoven with my passion, I became naturally drawn to writing for children. Something about this age group makes writing special. The fun. The curiosity. The carefree attitude. They all remind me that no matter how old we get, our inner child will find a way to pop up and let us know that it always wanted to run free.