Thrilled.

Ask me why I'm so happy.

Why I'm so happy?

You asking me why i'm so happy?

I'll tell you why.

I love reading. Books are like part of my life. It makes me who I am. I learn so much through reading. How to handle life, mostly. The type of books I read are mostly Romance Novels. My favourite writer would be Jennifer Crusie and Tara Janzen. So anyways, why I'm so happy? I emailed Tara Janzen a few days ago, through her website. This was what I said.

Me:

Hey!
My name is Azura and I am only 16 years old this May 18th. I'm from Singapore and I love reading your books! Right now I just finished reading Crazy Love and I gotta say, I love Skeeter's character. She's so cool and intriguing. So anyways, I just wanted to know, when did you start writing and how did you do it? I want to be a writer but I'm still exploring the whole thing and I need to improve on my Vocabulary as well as my sentence structures. But I love reading. And I tend to create little scenes in my mind whenever I finish reading a book or watching a movie. And as soon as I'm done, I'll take a pen and a little book and begin writing dialogues. I let my friends read my first Story and they liked it. So do you think I have what it takes to be a writer? I'd be so happy if you could respond to this message. Thank you so much for reading this, Tara! And all the best for your future books!

And guess what? She replied! I didn't think she would, but she did! I opened my email the next 2 days and saw an email from her. I went berserk and announced it on Twitter. I beamed from ear to ear, I felt extremely over the top. Hahahah. I was so happy my favourite writer responded to my email! Wanna know what she said? Here's what she said.

Tara's Reply:

Hi Azura -

It sure sounds like you've got all the basic instincts of a writer! I often jot down dialogue myself. I'm thrilled that you love Skeeter Bang - she's a character very dear to my heart. The most important thing you can do for your writing, is to keep writing. The more you actually write, the better you will get. Try tackling a whole story, even if it's a very short one, so you can see how the beginning, the middle, and the end all get put together. One word of advice that is very important: Write the kind of stories you love to read. I know that sounds simple, but sometimes people miss that point. They like to read romance novels, but think they should write like Hemingway. I am delighted that you have loved reading about the Steele Street crew!

Hugs, Tara

Like omg I'm speechless. And her words of encouragement is so... well... ENCOURAGING! This inspires me to continue writing. Hahah. I have like a few stories in my mind, and I've already produced 2, in small blue notebooks. Right now I'm working on my 3rd story but this time, using Wordpad. I need to make full use of the modern technology! OMG I'm just so happy right now. =)

PS: Sometimes in life, you gotta stop paying attention to the negative things and start embracing the positive ones. Only then you can truly find your inner peace and learn to love yourself even when everyone else gives up on you. Writing makes me feel like I have something to accomplish. Something of my own interest and hopes and dreams. Reach for your dreams. Don't hold back. Go the distance and strive to be the best. Good luck. =)