Today we continue our Dancing With The Pen II blog tour with an interview with young writer Miriam Larson, whose story "Dancing In The Rain" is featured in the book. Order a personalized copy of Dancing With The Pen II: a collection of today's youth writing here or on Amazon here.
What would you like readers to know about you as an introduction?
My name is Miriam Larson. I'm a 17-year-old high school senior who was born in Cambodia but now lives in Ventura, California. I sing and play with my cats when I'm not writing!
Describe your piece that was published in Dancing With The Pen II. How did you get your idea for the piece?
I wrote a piece titled "Dancing in The Rain" which is abut expectations versus reality. I got the idea from my own personal experience and wrote the piece because I realized it also described some other situations in my life. I always hoped for the best and used to be disappointed when things didn't work out. But from writing "Dancing in The Rain" I've grown and learned.
Have you been writing for a long time? What do you like about writing?
I've been writing since I was very little! I remember when I wrote about a singing dolphin at age seven and won an award from my local fair. Writing is such a huge part of my life. To me, it's like a way to escape, or a way to let some feelings out. But besides that, it also makes me feel happy and I love feeling happy.
What does it mean to you to have your piece included in this book? What was it like to get the news?
I was honestly very surprised! I was just hoping for some feedback on a piece, and to hear it was going to be published made my whole entire year! I'm still in a bit of shock, and when I told my close friends and family, we all were so happy. One of my friends almost cried for me because she knew how important writing was for me.
Do you have any advice for other writers?
My advice is that I would give is that you shouldn't limit yourself to any specific style. I used to think I was strictly a fiction writer, and I was very stubborn in that. But now, I write non-fiction and poetry too. I was so pleasantly surprised when I realized I had strengths in my writing and this discovery pushed me to try other new things.
Can you share a few of your favorite books or authors?
The first book series I fell in love with was Harry Potter, but the first book I connected with was Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass. All her other books also remain in my top favorites. The book I recommend to everyone is The Abandoned by Paul Gallico. That one made me cry for the first time over a book. I re-read it every year to get different perspectives on it.
What inspires you?
I'm inspired by people around me and my peers. Everyday things inspire me, like my cats, little experiences, hardships and the fact that writing is the only thing that makes me feel grounded.
What are you working on now? What’s next for you?
I'm currently working on finishing a novel from NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) and it's so fun. I think next for me would be writing my own songs.
Anything else you’d like to add?
I'm so happy to be included in this book! My confidence came back and I've written more emotional pieces about myself.
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