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Stumbling Upon Old Writing

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by Data, Jun 23, 2014.

  1. Data

    Data Guest

    I was wondering if anyone has ever stumbled upon some old writing that they made years ago, and read it with the now-20/20 hindsight. I had an experience the other day that sent a chill up my spine.

    I got a few new shirts and I wanted to get rid of ALL the ratty clothes that I had been hoarding. In the process, I decided to clear out my underwear drawer which had been my junk drawer. I found a paper towel with some scribbles on it. Then I read it...

    "Nothing I do seems to make a difference.
    I try and act like them, but it seems impossible.
    It's an awful feeling believing you could be headed straight
    for the fires of Hell.
    Even worse is everyone telling you how simple
    the solution is.
    They don't know what it is to be in my shoes."

    :icon_sad:

    I want to time travel and give myself a hug. I don't remember ever writing down how I felt. It reminded me of just how upset I was and how badly I hated myself. I felt damned from birth, and I was angry...SO ANGRY. It was a good reminder. I'm so much happier now than I was when I wrote that little gem, thankfully.

    I must have been in 8th grade or 9th grade. I'm not sure if it's a poem or what since it reads like a poem but has no rhythm or meter.

    The last time something like this happened, I found a story I had written in Turkish when I was in middle school. I clearly remember writing it, but I had no idea what it said since I hadn't spoken Turkish in so long and forgot a large portion of it.

    K, your turn. :icon_bigg
     
  2. Hexagon

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    I came across the beginnings to a story I wrote when I was about 10. Everyone at the time said it was amazing. I thought it was a little childish, but the plot was sound lol.
     
  3. McShuggles

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    I've been cleaning my room and came across old stories and writings from school, years ago. I look at them now and realise just how much I've improved with age ha!
     
  4. Nychthemeron

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    I came across plenty of border-line depressing letters... and really, really embarrassing stories. My writing skill was horrendous back then. It still sort of is.
     
  5. asdfghjk

    asdfghjk Guest

    pretty ashamed or sad of myself
     
  6. Jay47

    Jay47 Guest

    I found a journal of mine where one entry was two days before a major bike accident when I was a kid, and the next entry was from a couple months after. The first one, my handwriting was perfect. I mean absolutely perfect didn't look like a seven year old did it. The next one looked like it does now. Only I and a few other people can read it, it's so bad. I used smaller, simpler words in the second one. I wasn't as smart as before. My grades dropped about that time too. It was so clear I had a head injury, not just a jaw injury. If I hadn't gone on that bike that day, I would have graduated like a normal person. I would have been smarter. I wouldn't just have random 'talents' but be normal. I found that journal a week ago. I haven't smiled since.
     
  7. Argentwing

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    The only thing I think coming upon old writing is "Sweet baby Jesus, I actually thought this was good?" and feel crippling embarrassment for my younger self. Not always, but about half the time. We've all got to suck before we're skilled I guess.

    ^^Jay, that sounds terrible :frowning2: but try not to dwell too much on it. It'll only hurt worse.
     
    #7 Argentwing, Jun 23, 2014
    Last edited: Jun 23, 2014
  8. Illus1

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    Hmm, I found a piece of random thoughts I wrote when I was in the 8th grade. Random stuff on how I was going to get back at this evil bully and how another person was so hot.
    My God talk about flashbacks, I suddenly remembered each and every detail about the time when I wrote that paper. I wrote person because it was a guy and I was that paranoid that I wrote under it in red, THiS IS WRONG, WHY this feeling?

    Also had other things in it, how I wanted to be invited to the 'popular' party and that the hostess almost invited me when the a**hole bully said your not inviting him are you, I wanted that bully to just DIE, he got beat up in a fight with an upperclassmen and I was so happy to have seen it. I guess people filter out the bad stuff, I remember how nice HS was and it was after the 9th/10th grade but there were HARD Times too that I forgot about.

    ---------- Post added 23rd Jun 2014 at 10:47 PM ----------

    Data, what you wrote could have been exactly something I would've written in 9/10th grade.
     
  9. DangerAlex

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    I have a shoebox with all the notes I passed in like middle school and a little high school just before the cell phone and texting boom. Sometimes I read them and they're soooo funny, seeing what was end-of-the-world important to me back then.

    I'm also a writer by trade and incidentally a pretty organized file hoarder. Every time I buy a new computer, I transfer all my files to it so I have pretty much a catalogue of my writing that's fun to peruse sometimes. Doesn't make me like cringe or anything, but sometimes I regret spending so much time fleshing out dead end ideas.
     
  10. Wuggums47

    Wuggums47 Guest

    I found some stuff I wrote when I was sick, and it reminded me of how bad I used to feel.
     
  11. Opheliac

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    I recently found an exercise book full of doodles and random writing... I think it's my 8th grade biology exercise book, we never did any work in it :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

    But yeah, I don't even remember writing or drawing so many of those things. And they're a little embarrassing... someone else who sees them wouldn't understand why I think they are, they're mostly just random characters I created and their backstories. But I find them sort of embarrassing. I guess it's just because I don't believe I drew them or something.