IWSG: Collecting dust or not?

It’s IWSG time, where writers across the world gather to share their writing experience and/or insecurities. (See below for more info on the Insecure Writer's Support Group.) The IWSG million dollar questions this month are: What was your very first piece of writing as an aspiring writer? Where is it now? Collecting dust or has it been published? 

In real life, I’m a cleaner not a dust collector, mostly. In fact, I’ve been known to pick up a drinking glass that someone was using and place it in the dishwasher, only because it "seemed" to be abandoned. This type of activity rarely bodes well with others. However, cleaning does have its benefits. I’ll explain more on that later. 

My first stab at writing was in the sixth grade when I wrote this play about teenagers.

The story was a romance, in accordance to my eleven-year-old viewpoint on love, circa the 1960’s. I also ignored privacy rights and personal boundaries and named the characters after my friends. Additionally, I wrote plays based on childhood stories (e.g., The Three Bears), while my classmates acted them out on stage for our small school's student body. I directed the plays. 

I also received a kiss on my cheek, off stage, from one of the actors, a random boy, and I liked it. This confession has NOTHING to do with this post. It's only a memory flareup to share. 

Recently, my cleaning uncovered some of my first short stories, written thirty years ago on an old manual typewriter. When I read them, I laughed, but still they adhered to my heart like static cling. I also cleaned out my attic and found the typewriter that I wrote some of those shorts on.

Only two children’s stories of mine have been published and that was in the mid-1980s. 

I sold the magazine five pieces, but only two were published before they stopped publishing the read-a-loud section. 

A couple of years ago, I self-published my A-Z compilation of short stories, but other than that everything else is collecting virtual dust.　

Therefore, I am a writer of many stories and one unfinished book that are collecting dust.

The IWSG was created by Alex Cavanaugh and assisted by awesome helpers. The Insecure Writer's Support Group website supports writers with writers and helpful information. Check out the sign up list here.