What inspired you to want to become a writer?

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Hello Everybody,

Before I start, I'd like to apologize for the odd random inserts of the sequence of letters and numbers.

If you are using this forum, I assume that you want to become a published writer. I have a serious question for you. This question will make you think and prioritize your ambitions and goals.

What inspired you to want to be a writer, and why is it exactly that you would like to be published?

My answer is this:

When I was in Grade 11, I read a single poem, and my life was changed forever. Tennyson wrote this poem, and it was called Ulysses.

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE The poem as a whole is a very significant thing in my life because it changed the course of my career path, and in turn, my future.  Before I read this poem, I wanted to be a game developer. I wanted it badly, and for about six years.  I figured that since I loved videogames so much, what better thing to do with m life? I thought that I could affect people with videogames, like I had been affected.  The way I see videogames are interactive stories. I am able to connect with the people I control. When I read “Ulysses”, I realized that I should follow my true passion, which is writing.

                The reason I thought this was because if I were to become a game developer, I would go to work in the same building every day, doing the same job almost every day. I would be behind a desk and computer at the same spot working crazy hours for nothing more than means to an end and cheap thrills. I realized this isn’t really what I want for my life.  I have always loved writing, but I never took it seriously until now. I believe that the words I write can have an impact on people. This is because my life has been changed so profoundly with words. This is what I was missing all along. Words affect people.  When I read “Ulysses”, I realized that I could channel my desire to change people’s lives into something with a much more widespread audience: novels. I read that poem in my grade 11 English class. It was in that day that I decided that I would become a novelist.

My Work: http://dubbedpublications.com/mattgannon/

What inspired me to want to become a writer?  When I was in 5th and 6th grade we started writing essays and stories.  We probably had before that too but here was a real creative writing class.  My teacher was so impressed with my writing that she read some of it to the whole class who did not believe I had written it on my own.  One comment I remember was made about my patriotic essay.  There was a contest every year and I never got mine in on time until 8th grade which happens to be the year I did win the contest!  However, the comment made when my 5th/6th grade creative writing teacher read my paper to the class was, "She copied that out of the encyclopedia!"  Encyclopedias are not written in middle grader language.  She told the class I could have won had I gotten it in on time.  Since then, my writing is the one thing that no one has ever told me I couldn't do, or that I was terrible at.  It's been the one constant right in my life and the one thing that has helped me survive my life.  My exhusband never said anything good about my writing but he never said anything bad either.  Even from him, it was the one thing I could do.  From him, no comment is a compliment. 

Why do I want to be published?  I answered this on another site recently.  Those who have read my poetry and stories have been made happy by them.  I like to make people happy.  Another reason is simply that as a single mother of 5 sons, the owner of 3 dogs and 4 cats, I would really like to be home for them.  I feel like I cold better take care of all of them if I didn't have to leave home to go to work.  What better job than doing something I have a real consuming passion for?

TinaAnn

I don't think it was a what...but a who. My mother inspired me to write..or rather to keep writing, and think seriously that I could actually be good at it. I will never forget showing her this silly story that I wrote, I can't remember how old I was, but was surely under the age of 12, I'm thinking maybe 8. I had this goofy pen that was in the shape of a pink dinosaur and for some reason this pen inspired me to write a short story about this pink dinosaur. I will never forget what my mother told me after she read it. She told me that I could, or should, but a writer some day. I remember thinking, wow, what a nice thing for her to tell me. At that time it wasn't something I'd ever thought about as my dream back then was to be a nurse.

I was always writing stories and I kept a diary or journal all young and adult life. I know I had and still have, a very vivid imagination. I now know that is why my mother felt I had a gift for writing, because of my creativity. As an adult I learned that my mother had a writing interest and maybe a goal at some point in her life, but she never did anything about it. I love writing. If I wasn't writing story's or journal entry's I was doing letter writing to countless friends and pen-pals. It was fun.

Of course my dream as young child of being nurse, was no longer my dream after I graduated highschool. It wasn't until a few years ago that I decided to do something about my writing and take classes to help me be a better writer.

Why do I want to be published? To entertain and possibly inspire or help others and it's something I love to do anyway, so why not try to make some sort of living from it. I'm not looking to get rich or famous, but some publication would surely be nice!

~Holly~

What inspired me to be a writer is very short and very simple.  Words have power.  And we writers have to get something on the page or we feel like we will explode.  To many people in our community, writing is like breathing.  Plain and simple.

I was in junior high school, and was very shy.  I didn't think I could talk to anyone about my feeling/thoughts, so I started writing them down in story form.  I wrote fictional stories, and found that I was pretty good at this craft.  I began showing them to my Engish teacher who said that I should seriously consider writing as a career after I finish high school.

My "gift" for writing was noticed at a very young age, and my teachers from then on encouraged me unconditionally.  For that, I will be forever grateful. 

We had a small publishing press in our public school library, where they helped me to "publish" my stories (you know, the books binded with plastic rings and the covers made from wallpaper), and later my librarian taught me how to research markets for my writing, and helped me to send my novellas to publishing houses.  I had always enjoyed writing, but my teachers turned it into a passion for me.  Their encouragement and dedication gave me the confidence that I could become a published writer one day.  During public school, I didn't have a computer, so they would let me take as much time as I needed in the library to type out my manuscripts, teaching me the importance of dedication and hard work in making your passion a reality.

Every writer has moments where they feel like they are lacking in confidence, and they become unsure of whether they are "meant" to be a writer.  When I begin feeling like this, I look back on my life, and on who inspired me--if dozens of teachers throughout the years would bend over backwards to help me, and if publishing companies were nice enough to send my 10-year-old self personal letters in response to my submissions, and if local newspaper editors were to publish my articles just because I was "the writer kid", then there is no reason to doubt that my passion can become my entire reality.

I realized that I wanted to become a full-time writer because of the few years I spent not writing as I tried to piece my adult life together, and the entire time, I did not feel alive.  I felt like a drone, simply existing because it's what society expects of you.  The fact is, I have to write in order to feel like a whole person.  Whether I end up living in a nice, big house, or in a refridgerator box, lol, my passion will always be there, getting me out of bed each day to hopefully influence another set of eyes.

Krissy Brady, Writer
Keeping The Passion For Writing Alive
http://www.krissybrady.com

misfits&mascara
Mastering the art of productive procrastination.
http://www.misfitsandmascara.com

Money.  Is this the best job on earth, or what?

An online role-playing game called Threshold. I played a few characters there. Pyrosama was a male human with blue hair and white eyes making a journey in search to follow Bast, the Goddess of Lust, Greed and Vice. His journey ended in a sort of self-discovery and he turned to the Church of Erosia, the Temple to the Goddess of Love, Fertility and Protection. Truly a romantic journey.

Then there was Shyelure, a red headed dryad who became a clergy and served under Lord Belphegore, God of Battle, Rage and Fire. Her journey of being a Chosen of the Lord was a little different, but it was a heck of an adventure for me. I made her a website for fun.

http://home.comcast.net/~Shyelure/

Before kindergarten my dad taught me how to spell the biggest word I knew - butterfly - and that seemed to transform something within me.  As I grew up I realized how delicious the feel of pen and paper were in my hands and the smell of ink as it sat upon the page.  (Obviously this was way before computers!)  Once I got older, the author James Michener, awoke in me a love of historical fiction and I read nearly every one of his books. 

I've been writing seriously for the last ten years and finally, finally, it seems as if something else inside me has turned a corner.  I write poetry, lyrics and am working on an historical novel.  Do I want to be published?  You bet.  But I want to write more than anything and if that were taken away from me, I think I would just curl up and die.

I have always been very active, marathons,horses,swimming, a very free spirit. I am also a gregarious person.Three years ago I lost the use of my legs and my world fell apart. I was pretty much bedridden for almost a year. Pain pills and Doctors' offices, hospitals and labwork became my second home, but nothing could help, as no one came up with a diagnosis.I was frustrated  needless to say , I am retired from the medical field so I went to alternative meds.I also needed a way to express my feelings and trust me there were many of those. I started to put down my words on paper it made sense at the time, but as time went on I realized there are othes out there in the same boat, some worse than me.I realized as a young child I was different and never really fit in the box, so I chose to live outside the box all my growing up years..I discovered my metaphor.."WEEDS" ..I published my book.."My Life as a WEED..and weeds ( words) to live by"....I write tongue in cheek humor about lifes' decisions ,choices and consequences. It is the best therapy..and I don't have to worry about someone putting my quirks in the " Enquirer" and blackmailing me.....aren't you glad you asked?

.I am now ..weed by choice kjforce

retired from medical field..living in Florida and living life with HUMOR...as a weed by choice..

Nann to 7 grandchildren

Website dedicated to people who live outside the box and those who do and don't know it ..YET .

I too love writing, I love to read. nonfiction, I like knowledge, and I like the fact that everyone has a story to tell, and want to tell mine,I think if i could not write my life would not have adventure, to get published is my dream cause i think people could relate to what i have to say.

[quote user="krissybrady"]

My "gift" for writing was noticed at a very young age, and my teachers from then on encouraged me unconditionally.  For that, I will be forever grateful. 

We had a small publishing press in our public school library, where they helped me to "publish" my stories (you know, the books binded with plastic rings and the covers made from wallpaper), and later my librarian taught me how to research markets for my writing, and helped me to send my novellas to publishing houses.  I had always enjoyed writing, but my teachers turned it into a passion for me.  Their encouragement and dedication gave me the confidence that I could become a published writer one day.  During public school, I didn't have a computer, so they would let me take as much time as I needed in the library to type out my manuscripts, teaching me the importance of dedication and hard work in making your passion a reality.

Every writer has moments where they feel like they are lacking in confidence, and they become unsure of whether they are "meant" to be a writer.  When I begin feeling like this, I look back on my life, and on who inspired me--if dozens of teachers throughout the years would bend over backwards to help me, and if publishing companies were nice enough to send my 10-year-old self personal letters in response to my submissions, and if local newspaper editors were to publish my articles just because I was "the writer kid", then there is no reason to doubt that my passion can become my entire reality.

I realized that I wanted to become a full-time writer because of the few years I spent not writing as I tried to piece my adult life together, and the entire time, I did not feel alive.  I felt like a drone, simply existing because it's what society expects of you.  The fact is, I have to write in order to feel like a whole person.  Whether I end up living in a nice, big house, or in a refridgerator box, lol, my passion will always be there, getting me out of bed each day to hopefully influence another set of eyes.

I've grown with talent ever since I was born in El salvador, a small country, and saw a lot of movies, books, and heard music, which my favorites are pure fantasy and horror. My nephew Ben is going to be a writer that I've inspired him because he is born with talent also. I think you should try self-publishing for a chance. Just a suggestion.

I'm happy that nonfiction works great for you. For me only fiction genre. My favorites are Stephanie Meyer, Stephen King, James Patterson and Rick Riordan. Right now I'm reading Tim Tebow's new biography book. I hope that your books sell with more money. I love knowledge also. One advice: is try to get self published if that doesn't work than publish the old traditional way. I'm confident on you a 100%.