Winston Smallwood
It's a good question. I've always written essays for myself--for my own peace of mind. The essays helped me to make sense of things. I guess I've always been a talented writer. My teachers in school, I think if you asked them, they might tell you I was gifted at it.
I had tried to write fiction in the past, but it never worked out. I don't think I was mature enough to really do it correctly. I could think of interesting characters and somewhat interesting scenes, but I really didn't have much to say about the world or life. To me, that's the good stuff.
When I was about 26, I used to take Ballroom Dance classes at a nearby dance academy. To this day, I couldn't tell you what exactly inspired me to do such a thing. I was pretty depressed, I think, and I just wanted something different. I signed up for the classes on a whim and continued with it for about four months. Took all the extra money I had at the time, but it was wonderful. I really enjoyed it.
Anyway, one day about three months in, my instructor called me up and asked me if I had ever thought about being an instructor. The classes were expensive, and I was really putting in my last dime to attend each week. I think my instructor was trying to help me figure on a way to save some cash. Anyway, I turned that offer down--I somewhat regret it.
That next group class--every Friday evening we had a group class where all the students invited other folks and we would all dance together--the owner of the place introduced all the instructors like they were celebrities. And to us, the students, they were. But something occurred to me in that moment: I was genuinely proud of my instructor. I was happy to have known her. She was a talented dancer, but really, she provided me with so much moral support and confidence... I realized I was no longer depressed. It was in that very moment I knew what I wanted to do with my life: I wanted to inspire greatness in people.
Took me a long while after that to figure out how to do that. Eventually, I settled to telling stories.
I had tried to write fiction in the past, but it never worked out. I don't think I was mature enough to really do it correctly. I could think of interesting characters and somewhat interesting scenes, but I really didn't have much to say about the world or life. To me, that's the good stuff.
When I was about 26, I used to take Ballroom Dance classes at a nearby dance academy. To this day, I couldn't tell you what exactly inspired me to do such a thing. I was pretty depressed, I think, and I just wanted something different. I signed up for the classes on a whim and continued with it for about four months. Took all the extra money I had at the time, but it was wonderful. I really enjoyed it.
Anyway, one day about three months in, my instructor called me up and asked me if I had ever thought about being an instructor. The classes were expensive, and I was really putting in my last dime to attend each week. I think my instructor was trying to help me figure on a way to save some cash. Anyway, I turned that offer down--I somewhat regret it.
That next group class--every Friday evening we had a group class where all the students invited other folks and we would all dance together--the owner of the place introduced all the instructors like they were celebrities. And to us, the students, they were. But something occurred to me in that moment: I was genuinely proud of my instructor. I was happy to have known her. She was a talented dancer, but really, she provided me with so much moral support and confidence... I realized I was no longer depressed. It was in that very moment I knew what I wanted to do with my life: I wanted to inspire greatness in people.
Took me a long while after that to figure out how to do that. Eventually, I settled to telling stories.
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