Hello, friend! Welcome to my little corner of the Internet.
Back in March 2021 (three years ago?!) I created a website. I intended for it to be half an author website, half a whatever-I-want-it-to-be-at-any-given-moment site. And that’s exactly what it was.
But lately I’ve been dipping my toe into SubStack, subscribing to any and everything that catches my eyes. Personal bloggers, online literary journals, cartoonists, vloggers, and on and on… Maybe I accidentally fell into the water. Oops.
Anyway, I’m here now, swimming around, excited to be a part of it all. I have no idea what I want to share, what value I can bring, but I know that my writing has always been therapeutic for me and I hope that it may be the same for you.
So... now what?
I guess there's only one place to start—The Beginning.
My name is Paige and I'm a writer. I've been a writer my whole life, even if I didn't always consider myself one. It started off with short stories about SmileyWorld, where cartoon smiley faces would embark on fun adventures together. Once I understood what novels were, I became obsessed with writing 100-page novels. I threw any plot into it, not worrying if it made sense—only worried about hitting the 100-page mark.
Middle school and high school brought more novels. In 9th grade I wrote a 400+ page fantasy novel, only stopping when I reached the climax because I suddenly realized I had no idea how I wanted to end it. (I still don't know.)
In college I dabbled with one novel, finishing it the summer I went into sophomore year and then promptly forgetting about it. I quickly became consumed with textbooks and assignments and making friends, and my writing self took a hiatus. She straight up packed her bags, flipped her hair over her shoulder and said, See ya when you're ready to appreciate me.
I wasn't ready to appreciate her for a long time. A few years after college, I felt the urge to write creep back into my mind, my heart, my hands. I began reading for fun again (something that I also seemed to forget about during college). I would drive to the library during my lunch break and read the short story printed in the New Yorker that week. I would jot down sentences and characters in the margins of my work notebook, or go for walks and record story ideas in the voice memos of my phone.
I'm back, my writing self said, unpacking her bags, dusting away the cobwebs in my mind. You ready to appreciate me now?
And I was! I joined a local writing group, and I wrote. And wrote. And wrote. Short stories and flash fiction and novels, learning and stretching and growing. For 5 and a half years, these writers became my literary family, encouraging me every step of the way. In 2019, a group of us started an indie press, Dandelion Revolution Press, and published three anthologies full of female-forward stories that prove women can be every bit as interesting in fiction as they are in real life.
This past fall, my husband and I relocated to Manchester, UK. Within a few days, despite the shadow of jetlag still looming over me, I found myself in the upstairs of a pub, surrounded by a group of writers. A new community — a new opportunity for growth.
So… why SubStack?
Because I love to write. I love to connect with others. I love to share art, and read art, and talk about art. I like to share the fun stories I make up and the quirky thoughts that occupy my mind (this is my way of making them pay rent). I like to entertain and be entertained.
I think what I'm saying is, I’m joining SubStack just because.
And that's enough, my writing self adds, setting up shop, ready to tackle this new challenge.
Absolutely love it! You go, you!!!! Never stop writing, love.