Sunday 14 June 2015

What did you want to be?

When I was little, it took me a long time to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up. My friends had their future careers picked out - I think one of them even ended up doing what they wanted to do.
Once I'd figured it out, I wanted to be a writer - more specifically, I wanted to be Lois Lane. Not a journalist, or a reporter, or even an author. It didn't matter that she was fictional; all the best people are.

Now I am older, and have learnt 'growing up' is entirely optional, I'd still like to be Lois Lane. She's a successful reporter, living it up on a seemingly best-selling newspaper in Metropolis (which was modelled on Toronto, but I always assumed it was a real place - somewhere near New Yoik) and the girl knows how to rock a bob cut. She's not without her flaws, of course, one major factor being unable to tell Clark sans spectacles is quite clearly Superman. Maybe she did notice, and never mentioned it. After all, nobody likes to blow someone's cover.

I've recently had a second piece accepted by The White Rabbit which will form part of a podcast coming soon. It was about heroes and villains and the ordinary folk who have to clear up the mess after Superman has caused chaos. I'll post a link when it's online - it will be available on iTunes in the early Autumn.

With heroes and villains in mind, and my own journalistic desires, this is my question to you: what did you want to be when you were little? Why? Are you doing it now? Would little you back then be happy with what big you does now?

Leave a comment or tweet me @ruthsedar using #IWantedToBe and let me know how many of you are astronauts, deep-sea adventurers, authors, doctors, shopkeepers, vets or police officers. I especially want to know about jobs you think are boring, but are fascinating to everyone else.