Kyle Tress

For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to write children’s books, or more specifically young adult (12-18) fantasy. I’m sure I have my mother to thank for this, being a reading teacher, superintendent, and 40-year veteran of the public school system.

I remember being so excited for her to return from reading conferences laden with signed hardback copies from my favorite authors, such as R.L. Stein, Roald Dahl, and John Bellairs. I’d devour them quickly, ready to move on to the next author while eagerly awaiting sequels.

Somewhere along the way other interests took hold. I found myself learning about computer programming and web design, which took up increasing amounts of my time. I never gave up on reading, but it became a secondary hobby. That is until Harry Potter. I knew from the moment I finished the first book that my calling in life was to be a writer.

In November of 2009 I successfully completed National Novel Writing Month. I discovered that I could readily pump out 1600 decent words a day on average, some days exceeding 5000. The result was a 50,000 word draft of a story I’d been telling myself for two decades, the story of a 12 year old boy whose parents are the most famous archaeologists in the world. Of course as all good fantasy dictates, they discover something far more interesting than old bones, getting themselves kidnapped in the process. I won’t say much more other than I hope you have a chance to read it some day. It’s actually quite good.

My biggest barrier is getting over the myth that I should pursue one interest at the exclusion of all others. After all, I can’t be a skeleton athlete, a student, a writer, and a software developer at once, can I? As history shows us, it’s not only possible, but was once highly prized. From Aristotle to Da Vinci, Teddy Roosevelt to Thomas Edison, there is a long tradition of men and women who not only pursued several interests in life, but excelled at them. Today we might be too quick to label those people as ADD, whereas in their time they were sought after as advisors and inventors, scientists and artists. The tradition of the polymath is making a comeback thanks to the social, global, and creative nature of the web. Multi-talented artists and developers are ushering in an exciting world, toppling aging industries and reworking outdated methodologies.

I’m excited to be part of this community, a community of scanners. We are constantly scanning the horizon for new ideas, new hobbies, and new ways of putting the pieces together. While we might often be labeled as the ones that can’t get anything done, it’s not always about completion. Rather, it’s getting something out of the pursuit that counts.

My list of interests and projects continues to grow daily, with things that succeed (Moodboard) and things that haven’t yet (Sliding Magazine). So while I hope to finish this monster of a manuscript that’s sitting before me, taunting me with plot holes and spelling errors, I’m certain it won’t be this month or even this year, but it will get done. I know this because there are so many other interests I want to pursue. This one just happens to beckon the most at the moment.