Do you ever wonder how many times your “bio” is out in the world? Think about it for a second. Instagram. Twitter. Facebook. Countless other social media apps. They all ask for a mini profile, and we try to cram as much as we can about ourselves in 240 characters or less. 

Then, there’s the option for consistency. Do we keep our profiles the same or do we share different parts of ourselves on different platforms? Blogging is the precursor to social media, so if you’ve discovered my writing through this site, you might possibly be wondering who I really am. To be honest, I am many things but most of all just me.

If only our profiles could say that, perhaps we’d stop comparing ourselves so much.

But we live in an information-overloaded society, so it’s hard to just say I’m me without someone asking for more details. Let alone take an interest in my writing if I don’t really share something specific about myself.

So here’s this:

The shorter version (what my social media profile might say) is that I’m an Enneagram 4, wife, writer, reader, tattooed English teacher, lover of nature, and my two doxies. With more characters, I might write a memoir, but this is a good start. I began life in a small town in the Midwest, and thirty-some years later, I’m still in a small town in the Midwest, albeit a different one, with dreams to someday leave. I used to imagine I’d live in NYC or California, but here I am, living up the lingering layers of summer because our Midwest Fall refuses to arrive. Despite being a city girl at heart, small town living hasn’t been all that bad. In fact, it’s shaped me and spurred my dreams to become even bigger.

As a little girl, I often found myself lost in stories: both ones I read and ones I made up. Whether it was Narnia, River Heights, or the land of the blue faeries, I’d spend hours dreaming up stories and imagining myself saving the world, discovering treasure, and making new friends. Not much has changed as I’ve grown up, except the treasure part.

Okay. And the saving the world part. But I’m working on that.

Unchanging, though, is that reading is still one of my favorite things to do, and I rarely go anywhere without a book. I’ve also spent a good portion of my adulthood still lost in story: first by studying creative writing in college and now, figuring out what it means to be a #writerwithadayjob as I teach high school English by day and write novels by night.

It’s a fun pairing, this writing and teaching life, and though I never imagined myself here, it seems a fitting season to be in. Present me hopes for bigger and better things for future me though. Like a hardback book on a shelf in an Indie bookstore. But that’s seasons ahead, and I’m only on the cusp. So while this one transitions, I find myself settling in the in-between, working with teens and finding inspiration for the novels I’m crafting for them. (And yes, some of you will make it into my stories. You’ve been warned.) If you’d have asked me those first few days of my creative writing studies if I’d ever write for, let alone teach, Young Adults, I would have given you a resounding no. But here I am, one season having morphed into another and another until I wound up here exploring who I am.

-Ms. Lore

 

Post Assignment ||

The defining question of being a human is “Who Am I?” Thus, the goal of this assignment is to increase your awareness and understanding of who you are as a person right here and now. Examining your past and looking ahead to your future will give you a better understanding of who you are now and who you want to become.

For this post, explore the person that you are most familiar with – yourself – and answer the question, Who Am I? Be careful not to give away too much personal information as this is the internet. You can take a little creative liberties with this post, including using the word “I” as this IS about you.

If you’re having trouble organizing it: start with something from your childhood, then talk about your life currently, and finally share dreams of the future. Make sure you have some sort of introduction and wrap-up as well.

Specs: Your post should be at least 300 words long and organized into paragraphs.

Posts are due Friday, August 30th by the end of the hour.

Who Am I: A Narrative
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