I started using writing prompts as a way to practice writing outside of my comfort zone. Admittedly, I’ve only had one writing session doing this so far, but I enjoyed it, and I think it’s something everyone who loves writing should try.

I was reading a few blogs the other day and came across a blog post that actually spawned an idea of my own for this blog – “One Question a Day” – so this exercise is for me to perhaps write about something in an attempt to answer the question. It can be any question about anything at all, but the goal is to always answer as truthfully as possible. Kind of like a writing prompt, I guess – true writing from the heart, so-to-speak.

My first question is “Have you ever wanted to be someone else?” For some people, this may be an odd question to ask let alone answer but I think most people would have thought of this at least once in their lives, plus I thought it would be a fun question to ask. Growing up, I was an odd kid, to say the least. I was very introverted – painfully shy, but there were moments in my young life when I thought I was “the shit”. When you’re a kid, you do things because you can. You don’t stop to think about the why’s or the how’s. All you know is that you want to do this thing and you’re going to do it. Well, back in my childhood years, probably around 10 or 11, I got to be “the shit” at school, and I still don’t even know how or why. I had a best friend, most people thought we were sisters because we looked a lot alike. We were very close, so close that she came with my family and me to the end of year school holidays camping.

When we got back from that holiday, for some reason, something changed. All the boys started noticing us, the year before nobody knew who I was. We were getting attention from everyone, and for the first time in my life, I felt important. We were inseparable. I guess you could say we were “popular kids”, but it didn’t last. I only remember it was a brief period in my life, it may have been just a matter of months, perhaps a year. But we were quickly replaced by two other girls in a different class. And I remember watching one of these girls one day and wondering why I couldn’t be just like her. You know how you watch movies about the odd kid out who seems to always be looking from the outside in at all the people having fun? The unpopular kid everyone forgets about. Yeah, I felt that for a lot longer. Nobody special. That girl was special all of the time, and she had the cutest boys in school always chasing after her. I remember one day I even tried to practice her walk. I mean how ridiculous, right? I dunno why I suddenly thought about this and needed to write about it. But it makes me grin and cringe at the same time. How silly we can be as kids, looking at the person I was at that age it feels like I’m looking at a complete stranger.

Have you had a similar experience? Let me know, I’d love to hear about it!