C. Spring

I struggled with writing in elementary school. I didn't understand what the teacher wanted from me. One day, she looked me in the eye and said simply, "Write what you're thinking."

 

I got an A+ on that assignment.

 

Needless to say, I never stopped writing.

 

In 1987 I joined a local writing group. We met regularly to read our works to each other and receive feedback. I didn't find it very useful - until I was handed a brochure for a writer's conference in Las Vegas. New authors were invited to submit a poem to win tickets and be featured in an anthology.

 

Why not?

 

When I won, my little group didn't receive the news well. After all, I was too young to go to Vegas. Who was I to win, when most of them had been writing a lifetime without publication? I was too young to know that I was supposed to fail.

 

Why C. Spring? Being, like most authors then, somewhat shy and reclusive, I couldn't face having my heart read and judged by strangers. 

 

Chantelle Spring...sounds so romantic, no? As I grew and eventually studied French, the spelling was changed to Chantal. The next variation came during my brief and ugly marriage: Spring-Dupres. Hyphenation was quite the style back then!

 

These days I'm happily back to my maiden psuedonym, Spring. I've shortened the first name to an initial; I'm just too tired to worry about the spelling of an entirely fictional name.

 

My Journey is my first public solo collection. Most of my previous works can be found in anthologies and broad collections. I'm afraid those published in magazines can no longer be located.

 

Where do I go from here? Time will do its work and tell.