The first thing that I remember writing was a story about a girl named Balerie. I know right, sounds crazy, but the story is true. It was a long (as long as summers in Michigan can be) boring summer. It had to be in the seventies and way back when we used typewriters instead of computers to type. It may have even been a manual typewriter, aka, not electric. It all started when I accidentally typed a B instead of a V(they are next to each other on the keyboard) , and that was how Balerie was born. I just decided to leave it. I can’t really remember what the story was about other than it was about a teen, which I was at the time. I think I was in tenth or eleventh grade . My best friend at the time, Niecy, was reading it as I churned out each page. She actually seemed to enjoy reading it and couldn’t wait for me to write more. This impromptu writing project kept me occupied and brought two friends closer.