Some people are naturally talented and can make something from nothing. Others have to work at it just to be mediocre. I believe we all have a craft we can hone and shine at. It could be any talent under the sun, not just writing. I chose writing because it is something I am passionate about. Although, I really didn’t set out to write anything other than my memoir. I knew I had a story to tell that had nothing to do with actual talent, but more to do with my life and the horrific past that I had endured as a child and later as a child bride. I needed to share it with the world. I wanted to show how resilient we humans can be. I am proof we can overcome the worst of what life throws at us, pick up what’s left of our sanity and move on. Throughout my writing/publishing endeavor over the last year I am often told I have a great imagination and asked how I come up with my story ideas. It’s always these similar statements, after hearing them on a regular basis that gets me to thinking; do I have a good imagination or am I just fortunate enough to have a past filled with so many incidents that I can pull from them and weave a tale? If I am being honest, it’s the latter. I have so many memories from my childhood that I could probably write a different story every day, yet, it’s not quite that simple. I need to be inspired to write about it, or at least have the memory triggered to make me even want to revisit those days. Like my novellas, The Tree in the Front Yard and One Street Over. These stories are based on my childhood and things that had an impact on me and propelled me to write about them. I don’t go searching through my memory bank for the actual idea, it just comes to me out of the blue. I think many writers draw from their own experiences and then spin it, twist it and finally perfect it to be published to a potential audience of millions. If you find yourself wondering whether you could write a short story or a book, don’t hesitate trying your hand at it. Many great story tellers probably had no idea they had it in them until they put pen to paper. You could be a natural and not know it, or have a great imagination.
Author's Bio - I was born and raised in East Tennessee in a very rural area. My parents were from a poor background and brought their own five children into a world of poverty. I think I was a daydreamer from an early age. I was desperate for a better life and an easier road. Unfortunately for me I was in my late twenties to early thirties before that road came along. I managed a better life for myself and my children through hard work as a manicurist, and pure determination. I was determined not to live like my folks did. Stubbornness paid off it would seem.
Kimberly Biller has written a number of other books which can be found here on her Amazon Author Page.
Well, you know how much I love your two novellas, Kimberly - and you're a prime example of someone who has a talent they didn't realise they had. Being a good writer is just about being able to convey something via the written word in such a way that it is entertaining to other people. It's not something you can learn, I don't think - it's just something that's within you and yes, you're right - you don't know if you have it or not until you try to do it. You, of course, have it in spades!!!
ReplyDeleteSo many girls from a background like yours never climb out and up. You had the belief and determination to break the family cycle of abuse. You broke the mould in every way. You have my utmost admiration and respect, and having read your memoir, I know that you are a talented and natural writer. You are a positive inspiration to all those girls out there who think they will never succeed at anything so there is no point in even trying. You've proved it is worth all the effort and energy it must have taken you to do it. Your memoir should be reading material in schools in areas of poverty. Who knows how many paths in life would be altered by reading it?
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