ON BECOMING A WRITER by Donna M. Cramer

I’ve been interested in writing since early childhood. I remember telling people in second and third grade that I wanted to be a writer.

By my teenage years, I was keeping a journal and entering writing contests. But this was discouraged by my blue-collar family, who valued physical labor and working outside. I began to hide my writing, as if it were something shameful. I still don’t fully understand why my passion was vilified. Maybe they were afraid I wouldn’t be able to make a living from it. Still, I couldn’t understand why they didn’t see my dream as valid—especially when I wasn’t out drinking, smoking pot, or stealing like some of my peers.

I was the first in my family to graduate from college, and even my later goal of becoming a teacher wasn’t particularly valued. I don’t know the exact reasons for their disdain, even now. But I’ve come to realize that people often dismiss what they don’t understand—and fear what they don’t know.

At this point in my life, I’m not sure the "why" even matters. This isn’t a list of grievances or regrets.

I graduated from college, earned my teaching degree, got married, and built a good life. Then, while working with my special needs students, I sustained a brain injury on the job. For months, I couldn’t teach or even speak coherently.

And yet, writing returned to me—fully formed. I wrote my first children’s book, Lester Lion Wants to Roar, in one sitting. It was about a lion who sustains a concussion. My speech therapist had suggested I try writing to ease my frustration with stuttering, brain fog, and word transpositions. When I put my fingers on the keyboard, the words flowed.

The first time I read my writing to my husband, I braced for ridicule. I expected him to laugh or tell me I was wasting my time. But he didn’t. And slowly—so slowly—my confidence began to grow.

I love writing. My first published piece, an article about surviving brain injury, appeared in TBI Hope Magazine in 2020.

My dream came true. I am a published author.

Today, I have a series of three children’s books about Lester Lion published by Kirk House Publishers. My debut adult novel, Paul Is Missing, is out now, and I’m currently working on my second, Vegas Goodbye.

The words still flow through my fingers.

My brand is hope. I want to inspire others never to give up—to follow their dreams, no matter how deeply buried or how long dormant.

I started, and the words followed. Never give up.