Nonfiction

My Forte

by Crystal Dalison

I write the words to stories, and I throw them away. I do this all day. I write them in my head while I walk to work. I write them in the notebook I keep stashed under the till. I write them on the backs of my comped drink receipts, one sentence at a time, and staple them together for the accountant to find the next day, hoping that my short stories will distract him from the number of drinks I gave away the night before.

I write because I don’t have a choice. I write because I am always in danger of getting lost in my thoughts, but the words form a map of the maze, a map of the story, so I can find my way out. I write because I rarely know what I believe to be true until I’ve written it. I write to express the things I don’t have the courage to share with myself aloud.

It isn’t a hobby, or a talent. It’s a characteristic – an integral part of who I am. If I could hop in a time machine and visit 9-year-old me, I would warn myself: “Hey, kid, now is the time to start getting good at something practical. Put down the Tolkien and do your math homework. Stop frolicking about in the woods like a misanthropic weirdo and go socialize.” Alas, I am what I became, and daydreaming is my forte.

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Crystal is a slightly feral, outdoors-oriented, bibliophile seeking a bachelor’s degree. She enjoys adventures, stories, and being wild in the wilds in wild weather. She dislikes concrete, structured environments, and wearing shoes.

2 Comments

  • Ally

    I really like how you wrote this, and in some ways i can relate to this. Always writing your thought to hopefully untangle them from inside your head and i like your optimism at the end for theres no way to change how you are and you’ve accepted your fate and changed it to something comical and happy. πŸ™‚

  • Tonia

    I thought this was really interesting. I liked how you portrayed your words and how you were really descriptive about how you like to write. The most favorite sentence of mine was when you were talking about how writing is a characteristic and not a talent. I think this piece is very meaningful! πŸ™‚

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