What Inspired You to Write?

It was the question of the day. The answer is always complicated. I don't think it was any one thing.
For years I was called a daydreamer. I could be in class and not hear a word said. I'd be looking out a window and not see the playground or the front of the building, but far away places. Lands of knights, damsels in distress, fairies, elves, witches and more.

It wasn't until I was ten, I wrote something for my reading class and the teacher told me with my imagination, he'd see me in books some day. I believed him. My parents did nothing to discourage my belief.

We moved to a new town the year I started seventh grade. It was a traumatic move for me. I started writing poetry to express what I was feeling. I got good at writing poetry. I tried short stories, but just couldn't seem to make characters who were real. I didn't know how and no one who could have helped me seemed interested.

I took all the writing classes I could in college. Even my narrative writing professor told me I had talent, but she didn't know how to help me develop it. I started reading books on writing.

Being an avid reader I read two to three novels a week. Mostly mystery. I liked trying to figure out who did it before it was revealed by the author. I got pretty good at it. Every once in a while I slip up.
I just finished The Burial Hour by Jeffrey Deavers. I was clueless until the end.

I stumbled onto National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in 2003. I was eight days late starting. I had a day with no power, yet I finished my first novel in 21 days. No, it was not ready for publication. It was 2004 before the novel made it to print. I was surprised to know it sold 160 copies. Not bad for a first book. Not great, but not bad. The book is now in its second edition.

Since then I have written nine other books, two workbooks for writing classes I teach and three $0.99 ebooks. It was just the beginning.

I continue to write, not because my teacher told me I could, but because I have stories to tell. If I don't write them, I will go crazy.

So, what inspired me to write? Maybe it was Mrs. Snell telling the story of the Jungle Book and having us look outside her window to the forest there. Maybe it was Mr. Ireland telling me, I had an imagination. Maybe it was always what I was supposed to do.

TTFN