I’ll try to keep this short and simple.

My name is Melissa Snyder.

I am a writer. I have been composing stories since before I could write and actually writing in some way, shape, or form for over 30 years. I love research and putting all the pieces together in a beautiful whole. I love editing and rearranging those pieces into something stronger and maybe lovelier. I love spilling out my mind into words. Can you tell I am a process person?

I am a geek of many colors – books, comics, movies, TV, online and live roleplay games, and cosplay mostly.

I am wife and partner to an amazing man and mom to a precocious, artistic tween. The latter is by far one of the hardest and most surprising things that I could have ever done with my life. I seriously despair of when Child of Mine’s age matches their personality one day. What on earth will I do then? Whew!

I am a fierce defender of Imagination. I like to write about faith and self and society and hobbies, as well as revealing the myriad thoughts and ideas that inhabit my mind. I write about connection and emotion and vulnerability. Every year I try to set an intention for myself, a word or phrase to guide my reflections, prayers, and personal spiritual work over the year, as well as my writing. My current intention is joy, finding it in the small, mundane things that others might miss, like reading all day on a weekend.

During the day, I teach Language Arts to middle school students. We learn to write so we can best be understood. We study literature and connect it back to our lives. We study our minds, our hearts, and our duty in this life, which is, as Elie Wiesel said, to improve the human condition.

I am a superwoman. I am enough. I need to keep telling myself that. Over and over again.

So here is where I spill out those paper bullets of my brain. I would make one request of you: please, don’t steal them. These are extremely personal to me and I love my musings. I want them to be read and enjoyed and you are welcome to do so, but I would ask you, please, do not take them away from me.

You are more than welcome to pull up a pillow, a cup of tea or coffee, and stay a while. I hope to make you laugh, make you cry, make you think, and make you smile. I am endeavoring to write about life and Imagination boldly and share honestly. The recent posts and archives are just over there. *points to your left*

Welcome to my world, new friend!