KTHT Writer Origin Stories
How we all began writing. If you write for us and want to join in, let us know...
Writers are a diverse bunch, and their beginnings follow suit.
Some may actually start as a way to heal a bruise. Others by writing a story as a gift or letters. And even more probably began in a diary, I know I did that in my teens—scribbling down what I never meant to share with anyone.
We all have an origin tale of some kind.
Here are some of our writers’ true stories behind the storytelling—where, when, and why the writing began.
May More…
We’ll kick off with Ute as this was her wonderful idea…
Hmm, I started “writing” as a fourth grader when we had essay assignments in school.
My essays were inspired by fairy tales and I went allll out - Lol. That phase only lasted until adolescence and then, poof, I became more interested in applying mascara.
Fast forward to adulthood, writing was more personal and I journaled a lot. Eventually I wrote stories for my students when I was a teacher to teach language concepts (my favorite series was about animals with speech impediments) but it was still a far cry from what I do now.
Fast forward again, when I immersed myself in my animal work, I felt the urge to write about it and created some blog posts, and began fantasizing about publishing a book.
Well, that idea became a burden and I didn’t get my feet off the ground…. Until I discovered Medium and subsequently Substack.
Ever since the writing has been flowing.
For me, I think I've just always been drawn to words, like, since I was a little kid. I actually wrote about this on Substack a while back, but it was being totally obsessed with UFOs when I was around 9 or 10 that got me writing. My cousin and I would be out looking at the stars and writing down everything we saw. We even interviewed each other and gave it all to my grandma to read who was very supportive.
That's what kicked things off for me, and from then on, I started writing fiction, then my thoughts in a diary. At school, I was on the school magazine and wrote stories in English. In uni, we had old literature classes where we had to write essays, and then when the pandemic hit, I started KTHT.
As a kid, I would stay in at the weekend after a visit to the library and read two or free books in my free time. I was crazy about Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan series. My mum bought a weekend newspaper which I used to read and decided I would create my own. I managed a few issues complete with different columns.
Then at secondary school, I found out my spelling was never going to improve, but my creative writing often won top marks. In fact I wrote a short fan-fiction novella that I still have today! However, when I mentioned I wanted to be a journalist, the school told me that wouldn't happen — spelling would hold me back. (Later, at uni, they diagnosed me as dyslexic).
I ended up taking a career in computing and only wrote in my diary — until eleven years ago, when my partner and I got together.
He asked me what I wished I’d done but hadn’t. I told him, “Write.” He said, “What’s stopping you?”
That question changed everything. I started a blog, and not long after, I was commissioned to write content for publications and did well in some fiction comps. The world had changed. Bad spelling was no longer a reason to abandon a dream.
Writing has helped me see past my adoption and create worlds in fiction. It’s so much a part of who I am.
From when I could read, I read one book after the other, to the dismay of my father, who had rather wanted me to play outside than sit with my nose in a book. I belonged to the town library, but also to the school library and read as many books as I could. I loved escaping into the created worlds. For our Afrikaans and English classes, we had to write essays, and I enjoyed those, because I could invent my own worlds.
I was fourteen when I wrote my first novel. Handwritten in a hardcover notebook (which I still have). After writing the story, I even started editing it in red pen. I loved the process!
Then, for many years, I didn't write anything. I went through some bad years, and once I'd properly adjusted to the Netherlands, I sat down and wrote my story of 9 months in a horrible relationship. Once done with that, and after self-publishing it as a book, I wrote the next one: about a friend of mine who died of AIDS. I self-published that one too.
Then, in January 2010, I started a blog. By then I'd written several erotic stories, and I wanted to find an audience for them, but it took until November 2010 for the blog to take off, and I never looked back. I've been writing every day since November 2010, and have run several writing projects, like online memes, writing marathons and I chaired a Dutch writing group for five years. To say I cannot imagine my life without writing will be an understatement.
I loved words and their 'fit' – especially in a poem, ever since I was a kid. Stories and their progression that made us engaged and curious, interested me. So I read as much as I could. Before understanding poets and their living, I fancied journalism.
One time, accidentally, in 5th grade, I found a poem that I had scribbled down in a friend's notebook, published in a local magazine– but under her name.
Something felt odd, but at least I knew that my writing was valuable to someone. My Mom encouraged me to write after I told her about my poem. And I didn’t stop.
I wrote and directed a play when I was in 6th grade.
Writing is my 'high' and peace.
I am gradually making time to find my old writing in the forgotten boxes. I’m so grateful to find fellow seekers first on Medium.com and now here at Substack - sue ban
During my period of abuse (2015-2020), I more or less stopped writing for myself because my abuser would weaponize anything I said or did. He’d regularly go through my phone and interrogate me about my every interaction.
It would’ve been far too dangerous to keep a physical journal. I swear that man was outraged that I’d dare even possess an internal monologue.
Once I got away, wildly vivid experiences and memories I’d repressed came flooding back as though they’d only just happened (I later learned this was called Dissociative Amnesia). They’d been pent up inside of me, waiting until I was physically safe enough to start processing everything that happened.
About 2 years ago, I started writing a long text to my best friend to get a particularly distressing recovered memory out (which is how many of my articles begin to this day). That text became a note, which became a 7+ page document and finally my first blog post. I decided sharing with others, as scary as it felt to do, was worth it if there was even a chance someone could relate, find comfort, or maybe even find hope of getting out of their own bad situations.
I have extensive experience in legal report writing, advocacy work, investigations, and research through work; so I incorporate a lot of footnotes with resources and calls to action addressing disparities in our current systems. It’s oddly healing to be able to express my own experiences, and to be able to back it up with stories and statistics of others who have been through it ❤️🩹
I have always been an avid reader. When I was eight or nine years old I was reading the Nancy Drew mysteries. It impressed my mom (who was never impressed) so I kept reading.
Diana mentioned UFOs, and I am reminded of my dad’s experiences with them. I read the gamut of all things UFO, which lead to all things spiritual and all of the mysteries, meditation, healing, etc.
One day a psychic medium informed me I would write a book. Then someone else said it would be two or three books.
Well, that was a bit overwhelming for me so I started writing about meditation and awakening on my old website as a way to support those who were a part of my meditation group.
Then I moved, got married and left all of my writing in the past.
Last autumn I was very clearly guided to start writing about my healing journey and the spiritual awareness that went along with it.
Medium started showing up in my inbox, and I just ignored it because I didn’t know what it was. Until one day I read an article about monetizing your writing on medium and the floodgates seemed to open!
I’m so glad I opened that email although I haven’t monetized on medium.
For me, writing started really early too. I used to write in a small diary during school, just my thoughts, poems, and sometimes made-up stories. It was my little world where I could say anything. Then I got into teaching, and that shaped a lot of my writing style - simple, clear, and relatable. But I took writing seriously during the past year when I joined Medium and Substack.
What began as a quiet hobby turned into a beautiful way of connecting, reflecting, and staying true to myself. I'm still learning, but I love how writing feels like home to me now.
Having been encouraged by two English teachers in high school, I wanted to be a writer ever since I was 16. One called me a writer of the heart, and the other asked to read my writings even after I was no longer his student.
Incessantly, I have written throughout my life for friends, companies, clients, and occasionally for my own pleasure, but I never dared call myself a writer because I’ve only published three articles in the past, apart from company press releases.
Although I’ve always been proud of my negotiation skills through my writing, I never felt good enough to call myself a writer until I began publishing some stories in various good-quality publications on Medium last year.
I’ve journaled or had a diary probably since 4th grade but never thought much about it.
Later in life, after two depressive episodes, on a whim I sent my story to a National newsletter for NAMI. They accepted and published it.
Years later I was scammed and reached out to Katie Couric. Her editors were interested. At that point, I hadn’t written the article yet! The article ended up running for over 6 weeks.
I wasn’t paid for either one but got me to thinking. Hmm, maybe I should pursue this writing thing!
I wrote on Medium for two years and here I am. 😎
I tried to write a book when I was 12 called “The Forever People”. As an adoptee, I had an understanding at a very young age that not everyone would be in your life forever, so I wanted to write about those who I thought would and why this phenomenon in life happens. What makes these people stay or leave? I didn’t get very far. Too young to articulate my thoughts and feelings.
In 2021, I was asked to participate in a book collaboration meant to help young women experiencing an unexpected pregnancy. The publisher wanted diverse stories to help these women make an informed decision and wanted to include a story about the gratefulness that can come with being adopted, knowing we were given a “second chance” at life. I called it, “Life Twice Given” and it was published.
As I began to explore my emotions further and reread it, I realized that I was not entirely truthful, even if I didn’t necessarily realize it when I wrote it. There are a myriad of emotions that come with processing adoption, especially when it was a closed one and I decided to write more about it with a more authentic voice.
I began writing on Medium in 2022 and it grew into a wide range of exploring emotions throughout so many different aspects of life from grief, to mental health, to trauma, and of course, living as an adoptee. It has been part of my healing process from all of the above for 3 years now. My inspiration grew once I realized I was also helping others with my words. And all I can say is, To Be Continued…
I’ve been a writer since the beginning of time it feels like. My first book, I typed up on the computer at the age of six. The title, "Wormy". It was about a worm and his friends and the adventures they went on. Funny thing I find worms gross. Even as a kid haha, so I’m not sure what made me write a story about a worm.
From there I would write poems and stories to escape from the drama in my household. My parents use to fight often and both being alcoholics it was very chaotic. But I would get lost in my stories. Often writing sappy romance novels.
It wasn’t until I turned 50 and I left my marriage that I started writing. Up until then I’d always expressed myself through photography but going through a humbling, hurt-filled divorce called for a different way to process all my emotions. One day I grabbed an old notebook and a pencil and words I’d stuffed for years came tumbling out from a cavern deep inside me.
Anger. Hurt. Frustrations. Fear. Feelings of unworthiness and being unlovable all poured out on the page for me to sort through.
Not long after this I mentioned to a friend how much writing helped me. I told her I’d written a personal story about living in that uncertain space between being married and not married and how cathartic it was to put it all into words. She recommended I send it to a site she knew that accepted guest writers. I took a chance and submitted it. I was so surprised when they published it. This spurred me on to keep writing and to find other venues for my words.
Writing changed my life for the better and I can’t see myself ever stopping.
More about the magazine here:
KTHT Guide for Writers and Readers
I came across KTHT on Medium in 2021 when looking for a space where writers experiences were respected by the magazine’s community. A safe space…
How great to read how everyone's writing journey began! Thank you so much for compiling this and posting it, May.
Wow, this is such a wonderful post, and fabulous to see how we all started! Thanks for compiling this little gem, May 💜