I wrote my first piece of fiction in the 4th grade, penning a little science fiction piece about aliens invading the earth and destroying it. My parents had recently divorced, so it effectively captured my mood at the time. My teacher didn't find it so effective, she found it depressing, and changed my ending to something more "cheerful." I can't tell you what that was, exactly, but I can tell you when I opened up the class portfolio and read my story, which was no longer my story, I was not amused. Even though I didn't write fiction again for 20-odd years, I'm fairly sure this marked the beginning of my sordid writing career.
