Joy Frank-Collins

The assignment: Write a story with a moral

The grade: 3

The story: Patches the Spotted Horse

The result: Finding my life's calling

I am a writer. While it is true that I do a lot more than write these days, everything I do boils down to that one simple statement.

Born in a small town in Ohio, I learned early what it's like to live in a community where everyone knew who you were, warts and all, before you ever looked them in the eye, shook their hand and told them your name. My dad worked for the railroad and as the 80's rolled in, I quickly understood that his, while it paid well, was not lucrative when spent laid off. A vivid memory I have was of being six and walking the picket line with my dad and sister, because it was his turn to serve and our mother was at work. She was a stay-at-home mom until my unfortunate orthodontia issues threatened to render me a sideshow freak. She went back to work to pay for my first (read: first) set of braces. That was 32 years ago, and, at 70, she's still working today.

I spent my formative years in Virginia Beach, where I got a taste of living in urban sprawl, gained a great deal of respect for members of our military, got a great education, cultivated my love for music and was in the unfortunate position of seeing first and second-hand the devastating impact of school violence, rascism and bullying. I met an amazing group of young women who made those terrible, awkward years of Jr. High seem like fun. One of them still counsels me on health issues, the other introduced me to my husband and will raise our children if the unthinkable happened.

Anyone else think I'm taking this "biography" think too literally? As a writer and communications professional, I often feel an enormous amount of pressure writing these things because it feels like people are judging your soul and talents, when really, you're just trying to get something onto the blank screen.