I’ve been writing stories since the first grade. The kind with colorful stick‑figure characters drawn in the picture box at the top of the page. The bottom half had three lines, two solid ones separated by a dotted one, where we practiced our handwriting and our storytelling at the same time. Do you remember? More than anything, I remember my teacher’s praise and encouragement. And all these years later, she still remembers how impressed she was by my writing. Throughout elem