Sometimes it’s a good reminder to ask what inspired us to pursue our shared passion to write and hear from others on what keeps them going.
Two-part question:
1.) What was the biggest influence that inspired you to take up writing?
2.) What inspiration keeps you going now?
Authors have always been my heroes. I love stories and want to be a part of that. Deadlines keep me writing!
I never knew writers in real life until I committed to writing in hopes of getting published. Now my life is richer for having so many writer friends.
Deadlines are always good. Thanks, Warren.
I can’t remember a specific inciting incident, but I remember the draw came in grade school, very young. I don’t remember what grade you first start writing sentences (first or second?) but I do remember being in awe that you could put your own communication together in words. I thought that was the awesomest thing ever. 😎
Then came sweep-me-away books like Zane Grey’s, and I was also in awe of the stories they put together for westerns like Gunsmoke or Bonanza and started to wonder if maybe I could do that too. Then in later grade school and again in middle school, I won a couple of writing contests. I’ve always been drawn to buddy or team fiction.
I’ve lost a little of that inspiration in adult life because adulting isn’t nearly as much fun as being a kid 😎 but the inspiration is slowed down, not dead. I still think the written word is an amazing form of communication and I still believe it can have a profound impact on the reader, just as many great books did for me.
In elementary school, I read any Western I could get my hands on because of my love for horses. After puberty, I was drawn to the brooding loner men who rode the horses. From that influence, I discovered Robert Ludlum & his Bourne series. Ludlum was the first author I recognized his craft & he was the one who planted the idea in me to write.
Don’t get me started on TV Westerns. Ha! Thanks, BK.
I fell in love with writing when I started writing fanfiction in my teens. I had never known the wonders of putting my imagination on the page and letting other people experience it. I moved on to writing various flavored of fantasy in my 20s. Now in my late 30s, I’m slowing down a bit and rediscovering my love of cozy mysteries.
Why do I write? Well, I can’t find the exact book I want to read. Where are the paranormal cozies with dragons? There’s witches and ghosts and psychics aplenty … but no dragons! Little dragons. That breathe ice and look like humans most of the time. And solve murder mysteries. 😀
I wrote Fanfic before I started original work. It gave me confidence until I took the leap. Thanks for the trip down memory lane, Kessie.
You might try writing YA. Teen readers don’t have preconceived notions of genre. Mixing things up could be the next big trend.
I don’t remember why I started writing. I do know that I always loved stories
I write fiction because I have to.
Hey Brian. The passion for writing evolves in us. You may not remember a specific trigger but once the desire takes hold, it’s powerful for someone serious about it like you.
You mean I’m not crazy? Thank you for your support.
Dude – I’m no benchmark.
But I do support you.
I can’t remember a time I didn’t love words. As soon as we started putting words together in sentences and reading the Dick and Jane books, I was hooked. I love the way a writer can change the impact of a piece by changing one word in a sentence or paragraph.
Is it a natural progression then, to writing articles and stories? Where else would I be afforded the pleasure of using words to change someone’s perspective or affect their life?
Gravitating to words & story telling is natural for people who may turn into writers if they work hard & get it done. I think it’s important to recognize those skills & do something about it.
Thanks, Suzanne.
From a very young age (no more than 8 YO, maybe younger), I knew I was going to be a writer. The backup plan was to become an engineer to pay the bills and write on the side. But I was freelancing as a college freshman (for money, of course), so that set me on this wild and weird direction for the rest of my life. Still at it.
Good for you, Mark. 8 yrs old. Wow. Glad writing is still rewarding for you. Awesome.
Reading novels books and blogs as your blog is interesting so it inspired me to keep me going and there are many ways for me to get inspired.
It seems as if I’ve always been an avid reader. I don’t remember learning, but I’ve always loved it. I first became interested in mysteries from reading Nancy Drew mysteries. Then when I discovered Agatha Christie, I was hooked. It was she who inspired me to write. I saw her in an interview and she said that she was not anyone special, just a woman who loved to write. She said anyone could do it. I was intrigued. I always felt that writers were like celebrities and I could never compete. In English, I was ridiculed by the teacher and quit writing until college. I took some writing courses back then and was told that I was crazy and to get a “real” job. I quit again for many years until I retired. Now I am inspired by the way the delusion was shattered and I realize that I can do it. That, and my characters, keep me writing.
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