10? 20?

More? 
Not that it’s a bad or good thing to say, or that it’s untrue.

    But it’s starting to get a little old.

    Perhaps it’s time for a different escape.

    But what is an escape?

    A chance to run away to a completely different world. A fantasy land where you can be the hero (or villain) of your own story. The one that you write.

    That’s right. The one that you write.

    Writing is my escape.       

    I started writing to escape when I was 10. I was being picked on and bullied every day at school, and I wanted so badly to be like the heroes in the comic books I read.

    The first time I used writing as an escape I created a short comic book where I was the hero.

    I still remember feeling a kind of power while I wrote.

    Like this was my world, and I could make anything happen.

    I liked this feeling, so I kept writing.

    A comic book series called “The Adventures of Super Team,” two books about a female rock star and her dysfunctional family, and several class freewrites later, I entered the ninth grade and began to write my first real novel.

     In four years I’ve gone from writing stories about the evil Dr. Atom to composing tales of a little girl with blonde hair and a black hoodie running around with some guy twice her age.

    Writing has always provided a home away from home inside of my head, giving me a place to run to when I needed to get away from everything and everyone else.

    My fictional characters keep me company and give me guidance. They truly have been my friends.

    But writing has helped me in another way as well.

    All the practice I did by just writing for fun prepared me for my writing assignments.

    I looked forward to using my writing skills to get a good grade.

     All of my practice built up my descriptive skills. Instead of just saying “she stood there menacingly,” I would say “she stood there, her hair tossing in the wind, and frowned ominously.”

    A little more interesting, right?

    I taught myself how to do that just by writing for fun.

    I’ve also found that writing can help you deal with your problems.

    If you’re having trouble, incorporate that into a story, like how I did when I was being bullied.

    For example, if someone just died, you can write a story about reincarnation and bring that person back from the dead.

    Writing is a great way to escape from this world and into a new one. One that you create. So with pen in hand and paper in front of you, build your own story.

    Your second life.

    And make it the way you want it to be.