Academically, I was an average B+ student, shy and awkward. In my personal life, there was no one to encourage me to pursue my talent, nor acknowledgement that I even had a talent. Luckily, Miss Judge, my English teacher, introduced me to literature that initially inspired me to write. It was she that saw the potential in me that I didn't even know existed.
Miss Judge was a kind and lovely person. She first recommended me some classic works, like To Kill a Mockingbird, Of Mice and Men and Greek Mythology. Then came The Horror, the one sparking my love of fantasy and magic and everything supernatural, which will always remain on my bookshelf.
Once in class, we were assigned to write a scene inspired by Hamlet, the play we were reading. Excited about the chance to write, I worked extra hard on it. After I handed it in, Miss Judge was really impressed and asked if she could read it to the whole class. I refused. Even today, I still regret that decision. At the time, I felt like everyone would think I was deliberately trying to impress them by rubbing my great story in their face.
In my senior year, Miss Judge asked us to write journal entries, which she would read. I was still nervous about others reading my writing. To break from that fear, I decided to just be funny. My journal was filled with my humorous observations, kind of like what you see on the blog today. And she loved them, saying I had a natural talent as a writer. Nothing was more fulfilling. So, I kept writing. She wrote me many encouraging notes, pushing me to pursue a career as a writer. I still have those notes, hoping that next time she hears my name, it's because I'd have won the Pulitzer Prize.