The Meaning of Writing Jenny Chung

I wonder sometimes if any author's story is quite like mine. I'm not talking about the stories they write with their pens, or tap out on typewriters or keyboards. I'm talking about the stories they craft with their very lives, their every breath, their every movement.

When some people talk about writing, they give the impression (to me, at least) that it's something they enjoy, something to do, an engaging and enjoyable exercise. When necessary, other things in their lives take the place of their writing. After all, they say, one can't be writing all the time!

I may as well be from Mars.

I can't remember a time when I didn't adore stories. Even before I could read, I would pore over books, gazing at the pictures and imagining the stories they depicted. I had a series of about four cassette tapes that were recorded by two people who said their names were Jennifer and Jason (though whether those were their real names, I'll never know). These two voices told about twenty-four fairy tales in all, changing them from the usually gruesome original form to a humorous, more child-friendly version. I listened to these tapes over and over, till I could recite them in my sleep. To this day, I can still quote...