When/how did you decide to become a writer?

Can't answer this question, simply because I can't remember a time when I didn't (want to) write. I always wanted to communicate, to tell stories...and the day I realised the books found in book shops and libraries were written by people just like me only confirmed it.

When did you decide to become a writer?

When the judge ordered it as part of my probation.

I once decided to be a Marine Biologist.

I made a marine biologist hat with a dolphin and everything.

That reminds me: I want to steal Orion's life.

I was looking into doing college classes online, and thought I'd try a short-term, single class to see how I'd do with independant learning before spending all that dough. (I was 35 at the time)

I looked through the offerings, and there was a creative writing class that lasted six weeks, cost $75. I thought, hm, I've always enjoyed writing, so I signed up. Ended up selling two of the pieces I wrote for the class, and the rest, as they say, is history.

I always loved reading. In my teens I wrote a couple of stories but never thinking about doing anything seriously writing related. Then at 16, I was in the science section of the "lycee" (French school system, btw) and hating it. I sucked so badly at math that either I developped my sleeping-with-my-eyes-open technique or wrote. When my French teacher praised (heck, raved! :blush about a short story I had written for her class, it kinda hit me that I might not be in the right place I failed that year but the French teacher pushed to get me in the next year in the literary section. Anyway, that last year of the lycee I really got into writing and I realized that someone was writing those books I loved to read and that I could do it too. I've never sold anything but I pay an aweful lot more attention to what I'm doing when I write I submitted for the very first time this year (yay! I'm growing!)

I always was. I wrote when I was five and six years old. Badly...of course, but I still wrote.

It scares me how alike we are.

It makes sense, too, though.

Well...I really wanted to be a singer. When I was about nine I finally realized I couldn't sing. Writing was the back-up plan.

I was eight. I was reading an Enid Blyton novel and decided that I liked the idea of this whole writing thing and it seemed fun. I told my mother; she laughed and said I'd change my mind in three weeks. Fourteen years have passed, but it still hasn't changed.

I read everything I could get my hands on until I was twelve, which meant I was far above the average reading level for my age. At twelve, a girl who didn't like me snapped that for someone who wanted to be a writer so much, I still hadn't actually written anything yet. So I set down and started writing a book, which was ultimately crap and never saw the light of day.

Since then, I can't remember a time when I haven't written or wanted to write. I've a couple of books, most of which I've shelved and kept the ideas for something else. A couple are now getting to the point where I'm going to try and get them published. I'm constantly observing people and hearing things and thinking, oh, I could use that for a story, or having two seemingly unconnected ideas suddenly click and present themselves as something entirely new. There really isn't any other feeling like it, and I can't imagine my life without books and writing in it.

My family are less pleased, however, since they kept expecting me to get this writing thing out of my head and settle down for a 'real' job that'll get me a mortgage and pension plan. Since I've now reached the stage where my short stories are getting dangerously close to being accepted and I'm getting ready to start querying agents for my books, I think they're getting even more worried.

I always write, but didn't really think of myself as a writer until 1994, when I started to write short stories and a serial just for fun. A local group printed my stories in their newsletters and people actually enjoyed reading them, and told me they were looking forward to reading my stories. That got me thinking maybe I could really do this. And in 1998 I had this idea for a novel and I wanted to write it, but I knew nothing about novel writing so I started to take classes, etc., and in 2001 I wrote the first chapter.

I just remembered something funny...well, not funny really...just nostalgic. My older brother used to 'commission' me to write horror stories...and I would read them to him at night. How did he pay me? He threated to beat the crap out of me if I didn't write them...so, he un-beat me if I did.

I have two sisters, one of them writes good fanfiction and the other comes up with really funny stories. I have been trying to get both of them writing original fiction.

It ain't working...they're just not interested in developping that talent. I have a feeling we won't be the new Bronte sisters X-D

When I, at about 3 or 4 years old, began to "correct" the stories my dad told me at bed time. I can't say I realized I wanted to be a writer then, but it certainly wasn't long until I did. He would sit on the edge of my bed and make up stories about all these cartoon characters, and I would say, "No, dad, you've got it wrong. Scooby-Doo didn't fall fast, he fell like a rock!"

I started writing, far back as I can remember. I'd been writing steadily (and prolifically) for a number of years before it occurred to me that there were other writers out there. I was aware of the authors of books, but it didn't occur to me that I could be one. I just wrote, I didn't think one way or the other about it.

I'd been writing for a long-o time-o and piled up several hundred thousand words when I discovered that there were other authors on the internet who nattered about writing. it was several more years before I thought I might want to talk to any of 'em...

I have been inventing stories since I was a small child. From my imaginary friend Katie, who lived next door, to the complex family lives of the plastic animal toys whose homes I built in my backyard out of twigs and leaves. Barbie and She-Ra were bitter rivals over my Indiana Jones doll (which of course, made Bo and Ken jealous). Even my pet gerbils had parts to play in those stories.

It wasn't until seventh grade that I realized I could write these stories down, instead of keeping them all in my head. I loved and adored books, and thought you needed special permission to write them. It didn't really occur to me that anyone could write down stories.

So I did.

Although I majored in English and Creative Writing in college, I didn't really start writing for anyone but myself until just recently. My youngest started kindergarten and now I have more time on my hands, so it's either go back to the advertising world or start writing.

I really don't want to go back to advertising.

scarletpeaches said:

Can't answer this question, simply because I can't remember a time when I didn't (want to) write. I always wanted to communicate, to tell stories...and the day I realised the books found in book shops and libraries were written by people just like me only confirmed it.

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Same with me.

A family friend was a writer of children's books (James Howe, the author of the Bunnicula books). I read his books at six or seven years old and started telling people then that I wanted to be a writer. I've never answered the question differently.

ChaosTitan said:

It wasn't until seventh grade that I realized I could write these stories down, instead of keeping them all in my head. I loved and adored books, and thought you needed special permission to write them. It didn't really occur to me that anyone could write down stories.

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I figured out early on that if I typed this stuff up, I could probably wrangle my sister out of her allowance. Probably the most honest sale I've ever made.

Will Lavender said:

Same with me.

A family friend was a writer of children's books (James Howe, the author of the Bunnicula books). I read his books at six or seven years old and started telling people then that I wanted to be a writer. I've never answered the question differently.

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Did you ever get the response, "No, I'm asking what you want to do realistically?"

Will Lavender said:

Same with me.

A family friend was a writer of children's books (James Howe, the author of the Bunnicula books). I read his books at six or seven years old and started telling people then that I wanted to be a writer. I've never answered the question differently.

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.....I love the Bunnicula books. My wife had them as a kid and introduced them to me shortly after we got married.

scarletpeaches said:

Did you ever get the response, "No, I'm asking what you want to do realistically?"

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Oh Lord. All the time.

Ha! Me too!

PeeDee said:

.....I love the Bunnicula books. My wife had them as a kid and introduced them to me shortly after we got married.

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I'll pass that on, Pete. James Howe's brother Dave is a DJ at the little Americana radio station my dad runs out of the basement of his law office here in Kentucky. (Whoa, long sentence.)