About Me
February 28, 2022 | Dara Marie | @thornfield_lane
No, Thornfield Lane is not a personal blog.
But! I’m hoping it becomes a community. Somewhere booklovers can interact. So, in order to do that, I thought I would introduce myself to you all properly beyond the summary on the About page.
Hello! I am Dara Marie. That is not my full legal name, but it is my writer’s name.
When I was in early elementary school, I was placed in a reading program because I was behind all my classmates in my literacy proficiency. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to read. I just got better stories if I looked at the pictures and made up a plot on my own. This changed around second grade when I was introduced to the Cam Jansen books by David A. Adler.
The series followed a young girl, Cam, who used her photographic memory to solve mysteries. I was hooked. Mysteries became my favorite books, and remain, to this day, high on my list. I was an avid reader in elementary and middle school until around eighth grade when, for some reason, I hit quite the slump. For the next several years, I rarely finished a book. I still loved them and frequented bookshops–slowly added to my bookshelf–but I started hundreds of books without finishing them. I struggled to find what I liked. I slowly inched back into regularly reading in my gap year after high school, but it wasn’t until my Freshman year of college I truly returned to my reading craze.
I have a deep love for classical works, realistic fiction, gothic fiction, and historical fiction. You can take a look at some of my favorites in my post: “My Top 5 Favorite Novels.”
Ever since I was in first grade, I’ve said I wanted to be a writer. A storyteller. I remember one school day, we had to go around and say what we wanted to be when we grew up.
“An author!” I said.
“A what?” the class asked.
“I want to write stories.”
“Oh. That’s weird.”
And I got embarrassed. The next time I was asked, I said something else like a veterinarian or a firefighter. Something more ‘normal’. I kept my real dream quiet.
Plots and characters have lived in my head since first grade, but it wasn’t until I was eleven I actually started writing them down. From the age of eleven to twelve, I probably started over a dozen stories that never went anywhere. I cringe every time I decided to reread some of them at 2 am. At thirteen, I became dedicated to a dystopian story (it was 2014 and Hunger Games had launched the genre into YA stardom) staring my seventh grade best friend, Leah> It was, quite dramatically, named, “Nowhere to Run.” I did finish this one: 304 pages, if I do say so myself. I had ambitions to turn into a trilogy (also an early 2010s YA craze) as well as a prequel trilogy that never happened. It lives now on my laptop, probably never to see the light of day.
The story that has defined me as a writer and launched it into a casual hobby to my passion/career came freshman year in high school. Ninth grade honors English class. Our big project after reading parts of “The Odyssey” was to create our own Greek God or Goddess; complete with their parentage, skills, enemies, friends, and a brief myth. At the time, I had a B+ in class (that might mean nothing to you, but I was quite embarrassed because reading/writing was my strong suit but apparently grammar wasn’t) so I was determined to make this project count. I slaved over it. Prepped, planned, and wrote for weeks. Asked permission to write it in Greek epic style like Homer. I had so many ideas, I had to cut back on them because it was only a school project.
I ended up turning in an incredibly detailed poster as well as a thirteen-page epic poem narrative about Adonia, daughter of Athena, Goddess of combat, and stars. I received a 100%. (I still have my graded rubric from that assignment.) I had put so much into it, I couldn’t give it up. I kept writing it. And writing it. And writing it. Three years and half a dozen failed drafts later, I finally finished my epic.
Later, after growing as a writer, I felt it was beneath me and that it, too, would never see the light of day. Until spring 2021, that is. I was hanging with a writing friend and venting my frustration about my current story. She reminded me writing should be fun, not forced. On a whim, I returned to my epic and have been working on an updated, fresh, more complete and well-written draft I plan on finishing within the next couple of weeks. After that? A rest. Then merciless editing. I’ll be sure to keep you all updated, but it might see sunlight (or starlight) after all.
Since finishing the epic’s first version in high school, I had two failed realistic fiction novel attempts. But don’t worry! They have since been merged and it’s currently in development! Can’t wait until I get to share it with you all.
I’ve learned a lot about myself as a writer over the years, having tried and failed many times. Having a blog has always been a dream of mine. I even attempted one in high school but I have since destroyed the evidence so don’t go looking for it. After a couple of years of rigorous studying in college, I feel I’m finally equipped enough to get my first-grade dream off the ground. Thornfield Lane has quietly been in development since late Summer 2021, so it feels unreal that it’s finally here in the flesh.
Beyond reading and writing, I love being physical. I’m not necessarily competitive, though. I like things where you’re up against yourself and your own records, like running, weight lifting, hiking, biking, and walking. Currently trying to get better at rock climbing and snowboarding.
So that’s me. I can’t wait to meet all of you.
Welcome to Thornfield Lane.
I'd love to hear from you! You can connect with me through thornfield.lane@gmail.com or on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter: @thornfield_lane.
