My Side

It all started with My Side.

Before then, all I wanted to do was become an actor. Writing was just this other thing that I goofed around with now and then.

But then, I wrote it—about 750 words on the topic of falling asleep in class. I was 17 years old, a junior in high school, and I could see this was more than just a lark, more than just something I wrote to amuse myself. I showed it to my English teacher, Ms. Von. She sent me to see the school’s Journalism advisor, Ms. Hill. Fortunately, our school had a paper. That’s when the dream started. That was the first sign I had that such a dream could exist, that I would be a writer. Because, as it turned out, Ms. Hill loved it. And there was something there, perhaps some hint of a voice, which hinted at the possibility of more. Ms. Hill asked if I’d be interested in writing a regular column in the newspaper. Being the attention whore that I am, I gave an affirmative without a thought.

And then, the rules came in. I’d need a name, a voice, an angle. I chose the name My Side after someone, perhaps Ms. Hill, suggested My Side of The Story. I liked My Side. It was easy to remember, easy to spot.

I wrote that column for the remainder of my high school career. Then, I continued writing it in college. I brought it back some years later as a column on a BBS – yes, this is pre-Internet. I named my first book My Side. (And let’s hope no one ever sees that mess.) Even my first blog was named My Side.

But the column at the core of the idea faded away and I moved on to other things. Novels. Plays. Other priorities came up and filled my dream of being a writer, forcing My Side to a fond, warmly remembered place in history.

… and then…

A few months ago, I was working on putting out an episode of my podcast shortly before writing my monthly piece for Recovering the Self. Somehow, these two things came together at right about the time someone said to me something about how I’d become the “follow your dreams” guy.

It kind of took my breath away—and it wasn’t good. You see, I’d started as a comedy writer. My plays are irreverent, chaotic, volcanic explosions of… well, not this.

Listen, I don’t mind being the “follow your dreams” guy. I’m proud to be the “follow your dreams” guy. I firmly believe that following our dreams makes us better people and that the greatest good comes out of it.

But that’s not all I want to be.

So, imagine for a moment that you’ve been working on your dream for years and then, at some point, you look around and realize you don’t know where you are. The landscape is inexplicable.

That’s where I was. And I can’t say I liked it very much, either.

I looked back at My Side… and had a thought.

If I want to be more than just the “follow your dreams” guy, why not start there? Why not bring back My Side, bring it back as a YouTube series of regular columns about, well, whatever I want? It’s really not that hard, after all. With the trailers I’ve been making for my books, I already had the know-how. Why not?

… Immediately, I thought of about a hundred different reasons why not. Most of them were simple insecurities but the biggest objection, the loudest vote against bringing back My Side was the one telling me, “But that’s not how it’s supposed to be. You left that behind. You can’t go back. You must only go forward.”

Which is silly. Because My Side has always been mine.

If you’re pursuing your dream, one thing you should always remember is that you make the rules. Nobody else. You can do whatever you want, however you want. It’s your dream!

And I’m making My Side a part of mine once again. Look for it on my YouTube channel coming August 1st.

About the Author

Ken La Salle is an author and playwright out of Anaheim, California. His passion is intense humor, meaningful drama, and finding answers to the questions that define our lives. You can find his books on Amazon and Smashwords and all major etailers. His philosophical memoir, Climbing Maya, is available in ebook and paperback. Ken also has a number of audiobooks available on iTunes, Audible, and all major etailers. You can follow Ken’s writing career on his website at www.kenlasalle.com.