Earnestness from Erynn:

Once upon a time, none of us knew how to write.

Much of this echoes what Kyle said in his student lecture, but to summarize, this one saying stands out: we are the luckiest generation of writers. Once upon a time, we wouldn’t have known each other. We’d mostly all be married by now, many of us with kids – depending on the era. We’d be working, probably most of us in conditions we didn’t like or couldn’t handle. We truly are the luckiest. Just think. Once upon a time, we wouldn’t have been writers.

And, honestly, thinking of myself in an age where I didn’t have you guys? Well, it’s not pretty.

It’s been several days since the workshop and I’ve had the time to calm down, recoup, finish a novel, and start looking towards the future again.

And what a future it’s going to be.

I didn’t cry because the workshop was over. I cried, I jumped, I ran, I sang (and me singing is usually a bad thing) because I was so incredibly joyful that this community exists. I didn’t cry, jump, run, sing because of the workshop, but the people, the vision, the future that is stretching ahead of each and every one of us. I look at each and every OYANer and I see a future for them.

I am not the nicest of persons. If you offend my friends, I will hate you. I will despise you. I will turn away from you, outcast you, and make it very, very difficult for you to get to know me. And sometimes, that works for my ill, because I don’t get to know you. I am not the nicest of persons, and there are OYANers that I distaste. But just think. Just think about what those people can accomplish in the future. OYAN taught me to see and appreciate the future potentials and the past successes of every living soul.

Maybe you and I have our lives plotted out already.

Maybe you’re headed into college next year (yay graduates! We rock!) and we don’t really have a clue what we’re doing but the water of life is up to our neck and we’ve got four years left until we’re expected to swim. Maybe you’re just thirteen and this is your first year in the curriculum and to you, I’m this wrinkled old person who doesn’t remember what it’s like to be your age anymore. Maybe you’re somewhere in between, unsure of the future but beginning to question the past. I saw a lot of that this workshop. I see a lot of these mentalities in everyone in OYAN every day.

Once upon a time, we’d already be entrenched in our future.

Once upon a time, there would be no social mobility, no hope for us ordinary souls to change the world with a combination of twenty-six letters and some punctuation marks.

Once upon a time, we wouldn’t be the ordinary heroes, the once-and-future-king, the strong hobbits, the abandoned farmboys, the children who will rise above all problems to reach the story goal.

Once upon a time…

I’m ever so glad I’ve gotten to watch, become a part of, encourage, support, and understand this community.

Thank you for letting me in.

Thank you for being extraordinary in your ordinariness.

Thank you, OYAN.

For family. Community. Critiques. Stories. Debates. Love. For all the Once Upon A Times that I’ve managed to turn into novels.

Thank you.

~Erynn Besse