Member-only story
The Stories that Shaped Me
They Probably Aren’t what You Think
“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.”
— Anaïs Nin
I, too, like so many other authors, began my writing career by reading books that helped me define who I wanted to become as an author, and ultimately shaped my writing style, but my faith has had the greatest impact on my writing. Some things I choose not to write about, because they go against everything I believe and stand for. My Nonna’s stories shaped me as a child and adult, when I would listen to them on cold rainy days.
“You should write because you love the shape of stories and sentences and the creation of different words on a page. Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write.”
— Annie Proulx
A fear of thunderstorms afflicted my Nonna as a child during the 1918–1920's. It would last her the rest of her life. On one occasion, my Nonna grabbed the box that contained her new blue patent letter shoes, hugged them like a beloved doll, and crawled under her parents’ bed, terrified. Though my Nonna grew up in America, her first language was Italian, although having older…
