My first thought when writing this is, ‘Who wants to know anything about me?’ but in reality, I want you to get to know me.
On the surface, I’m Sarah Waterbury. I’m a Mom, Wife, Daughter, Sister, Friend, Employee, and many more things. One of those many things is Writer.
Writing has been a passion for most of my life. It began first with books. Since I was old enough to hold a book, I’ve had a love for them. I became clearly obsessed with books in the second grade when I NEEDED the entire series of The Babysitter’s Club by Ann M. Martin. I had over a hundred of them and read them all at least once. I might have pretended to be afraid of the dark just to have enough light to read after my parents went to bed.
The love of the written word developed in sixth grade. To manage my ADHD, I learned I absorb more of my teacher’s lectures when I would write throughout class. Of course, I’d glance up to see whatever they wrote on the board or had on the screen, but I almost always had pen to paper. I wasn’t a note taker, per se, but rather a note writer.
I’d write notes to my friends, journal, and even just write random things I wanted to do to clear my mind, like a brain dump. In eighth grade, I started writing both dreams and daydreams about my friends and I meeting our celebrity boy crushes and falling in love.
My teachers noticed my writing, and I got in trouble for ‘not paying attention,’ but when I could almost quote my teacher’s last statement back to them, they’d let it go.
By high school, I’d have conversations with some teachers about my need to write during class as a method to pay more attention. Some teachers understood, some didn’t.
Rereading certain pages of writing in college still brings me back to the classroom I was in while writing it.
In tenth grade, I wrote a new story that my friends fell in love with. I was now obsessed with Law & Order: SVU and Cosmopolitan magazine. It was inspired by a dream, but my friends loved the storyline and begged me to continue it.
For the rest of the year, I’d rewrite, edit, and expand until it reached the length of 13 chapters.
Life changed for me after that, as I had a job, danced in a dance company at school, had a serious boyfriend, and was saving every penny I had for trips to New York City with my dance company. My writing changed to more ‘grown up’ things, like taking notes about budgeting tips and college plans.
It wasn’t until about 10 years after I had the inspiring dream, while cleaning out boxes under my bed in the townhouse I shared with my husband, that I found those 13 chapters and fell back in love with Rachel and Joey. I first typed it all up, but then I started making changes. It’s become a passion project ever since.
Those 13 chapters have developed into multiple books that I cannot wait to publish in the VERY near future.
Writing also takes over other areas of my life, resulting in multiple websites where I share my passions and write to inspire others with things I’m learning along the way.
I hope you’re ready to jump feet first into this journey I’m going to take to take my writing from my favorite pastime to my full-time career!