Nerd nerd nerd NERD ALERT

I may have mentioned it before, but I wasn't always going to be a writer.

When I was growing up, I vacillated between becoming a professional author, becoming a professional musician, and becoming a scientist at NASA.

It seemed to depend a lot on my teachers. In elementary school, it was NASA all the way. I was a junior volunteer for the National Science Center in in Augusta (before it moved to Port Royal). By 7th grade, when it became apparent I was no ordinary bookworm, it had tilted strongly over to the literary bent. Ms. Jenkins, my 8th grade lit teacher, encouraged me by sending me to the library on Fridays to write (since I had tested past the SRA reading kits the rest of my classmates were still slogging through.) I completed my first sci-fi story then, as middle school was also the time I discovered Asimov and Heinlein.

By the time I reached high school, however, it became apparent I was also a fairly talented musician. I could play trumpet and violin, and sing. I was a true Renaissance woman.

But the fine arts school I attended also had a rigorous academic curriculum, and Mr. Manly, who was my physics and chemistry teacher, reignited my love for science.

I was accepted to GA Tech. I almost went, but my father was a Bulldawgs fan, so I found myself going to UGA instead to please him. It turned out to be the correct decision.

So I started out a physics major. A series of unfortunate events, bad advice, and bad choices on my part in my freshman year taught me that as much as I loved science, my dream of working for NASA was not to be. (Someday I shall defeat you, integral calculus!) By my second semester I had changed my major to ethnomusicology, but it was too late - the School of Music rejected me. I was too rusty on trumpet and violin, and I kept getting a cold for my vocal auditions.

Although I loved science, I was bad at the math. Although I loved music, I had waited too long.

That left the English department. Home sweet Park Hall home. I was able to slack off and write about anything I wanted in many classes, and I learned the valuable skill of writing about things I didn't want to write about - often on a tight deadline. There were no auditions, and since I'd scraped out a D in Honors Calculus II, I didn't have to take any more evil math classes, ever. (Now that I'm eying graduate school, I did have to study for the math portion of the GRE, but that wasn't so bad.)

The most wonderful thing about writing is that I can channel my love for science and art into my stories. Most of my characters are artists or scientists or musicians. And it's okay - it turns out I'm better at writing about science and art than I am doing it myself.