“I took hold of that scourge -filled ship and crushed it between my limbs, hurtling it into the second sun, the red one that gave me strength. But I was too late." Terraformer
FEATURING GUEST KIMBERLY DERTING| WHAT I WANT TO BE WHEN I GROW UP
Welcome to the fourth session of
THE MODERN INK SOCIETY!
A thought on growing up . . .
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up”
~Pablo Picasso
Introducing, Kimberly Derting . . .
What did you want to be when you grow up?
“One of the questions a lot of authors get asked is: Did you always want to be a writer?
For me, that answer is simple. No. The end.
I wanted to be about a million things before I wanted to be a writer. First of all, I was a girl, so I went through my obligatory princess phase, at least until I realized there were sick animals in the world that needed saving and I set my sights on the even more obligatory veterinarian. Who cared that I had swelling eyes and throat closing shut allergic reactions to pretty much every animal that does (and every will) exist, including probably the prehistoric furless ones?
But I was also a child of the 70s, so TV became my greatest aspirations. Not that I wanted to be on TV, but rather I wanted to be (interchangeably) The Bionic Woman, a Charlie’s Angel (Jill, please, because she had the coolest hair and biggest….umm, teeth), and Wonder Woman (Linda Carter-style). It wasn’t until a show called BJ AND THE BEAR came along, that my true passion was discovered… Foxy Lady Trucker.
(You thought I was going to say writer, didn’t you?)
That came later, because BJ AND THE BEAR had an allure that writing didn’t: a chimp (aka. “Bear”) who traveled the highways helping BJ do his all of his trucker business. Brilliant!
I had it all figured out. I was gonna be a smokin’ hot (which in 70s jargon was known as “foxy”) lady trucker. I would have a boyfriend in every city, a faithful German Shepherd companion (because a chimp can’t have your back if you’re foxy and you get yourself in a jam), and a tricked-out semi with a sleep compartment (you know, for all the boyfriends).
Fortunately for me (and for my mom’s breaking heart), along came the 7th grade…and electives. And for me, that meant journalism, which meant learning to write and how to keep a deadline. It also meant falling in love with writing. On top of my classwork, I started keeping journals and writing short stories and bad poetry.
It wasn’t long before I’d traded those dreams of truck stops and endless cups of coffee on the road and days without showers for character arcs and endless cups of coffee and…well, days without showers just to meet a deadline. Okay, so maybe there are some similarities between the two, but I will forever be grateful that I took that journalism class, because it changed the trajectory of my life. I’m so not cut out for life on the road.”
Is it just me or did you also want to read more from Kimberly? I find that no matter my age, I’m constantly reinventing myself and discovering things I’d like to “be when I grow up”. I’ve wanted to be everything from a singer/dancer to a farmer to a doctor to a pregnant woman swinging on the porch in the middle of the country side wearing a sun dress and drinking ice cold lemonade (and trust me, the whole fantasy about being barefoot and pregnant is anything but romantic). Still, I’m very much a grown up and still deciding what I want to be. So, if that’s not a lesson that it’s never too late to set out and fulfill your dreams, I don’t know what is!
For those of you interested in learning more about Kimberly Derting you can check her out on her website at kimberlyderting.com.
What path will you choose to take?
~Till’ next time,
Linda Louise Lotti
This entry was posted in Featuring Authors, The Modern Ink Society.
I’m Linda Louise, one of the bloggers on this website and Colleen’s little sister. I’m just a girl in her mid-thirties who feels thirteen when I play outside with my boys, fifteen when I sing my heart out listening to tunes while driving by myself, and sixty five when I go out past ten at night. I have a thing for junior mints, Mt. Dew, shrimp and kale (though not all at once) and I have a crush on Superman. I still get girlish butterflies when I read Twilight, cry when I read These is My Words, and smile from ear to ear when I read Anne of Green Gables. I have nightmares about aliens on a regular basis and I have a bad habit of midnight snacking. I love everything sports, except golf (although can that honestly be considered a sport??), and I hate anything that slithers, hisses, or stings. I have a problem with giggling at inappropriate moments and I sometimes wish life was a musical. I love science, hate math, love Dr. Seuss, and hate olives. My family is my world and my joys come from their happiness. I’ve learned I don’t know much about anything and I live for a good adventure, naps, cuddles, stories, exceptional food and The Shire.