My Journey with Writing

By Jason Leclair

My journey with writing began with my initial interest in the literary world. My mother used to read books to me—not bedtime stories; we would read stories together, look at the words on the page, and she would often ask me to read myself—before I started kindergarten. I really enjoyed reading these stories. These positive experiences really drove home my interest in literature, reading, and writing later in life. By the time I reached kindergarten, teachers were telling my parents that I was reading at a first to second-grade level. On the other hand, I learned the writing process like any regular student. My interest in the literary world, however, continued expanding.

I was in sixth grade when I wrote my first novel, A Dark, Desperate King. By this point, I had been exposed to various books, including the following: Magic Treehouse, Warriors, Percy Jackson, and A Series of Unfortunate Events. Ironically, it wasn’t a book that inspired me when writing my first book. My brothers and I became interested in video games. For most of my character and plot design, I used concepts from Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. One of my novel’s villains were based off the character King Bulbin, a green goblin-like monster who rides a bull. I ended up finishing the novel at around 100 pages, and I still have my completed copy today. The book itself, however, is in aging condition and the pen ink is fading (I am currently attempting to copy the writing onto a computer).

When I transitioned into middle school, I had begun to write more books; these stories were inspired by actual books. My most prized book is called The Children of Legends: The Rise of Atlantis. Many could argue that my book is fanfiction of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson; however, I made careful note to remove any similarities. Percy’s name is actually mentioned within the novel, but only as a cameo. The protagonist is also not the son of Poseidon. As I began to write more, I unofficially published my books onto a website called Wattpad. I have since removed my books, as I may someday officially publish them.

My writing began as a temporary escape from what I considered a very boring reality. My siblings were readers too, but most of the time they preferred to play video games with one another. I was more into stories, so I would often be left out of conversation or daily activities. To kill time, I wrote A Dark, Desperate King. I fell in love with the idea of being able to create my own universe and having the ability to manipulate and develop an imaginary world as I chose. Eventually, I created my other stories because it was fun—every story was a new beginning, a new adventure for both me and anyone who wanted to read my books—and to this day I have officially written and ended five books.