Friday, June 3, 2011

Did it start at Childhood?

Before I start reading a good book, I love to turn to the author’s bio and acknowledgements. It allows me to see what drove them to write a fabulous book and who all they thanked – which is never easy since we all know how much help we use along the way.


Some people find their passion at an early age, their imaginations carrying them to bring a notepad and write everything down.

Others soak up the information for years. Never knowing that’s where they’ll end up but when asked the inevitable question ‘When did you start writing’ they’ll reply with ‘a year’ but secretly they’ll know it was since childhood.

We are also driven to write different things. Some of travel, life, animals, others simply make believe. Some also write just because they ran out of books to read.

So what category do you fall under? Why did you start writing?

36 comments:

Miranda Hardy said...

It was either write it all down or be committed to a mental institution. Not really. It took me a while to realize my imagination could be appeased and pleased when I wrote about the things that popped in my head.

DRC said...

I was bullied when I was younger and so never went out to play with any of the other kids, so at an early age I learned to entertain myself inside the house...ie, by writing. I wrote my first story at the age of 10. It was a fantasy, 76 handwritten pages long and fully illustrated. I still have it, 20 years later, and it's something I'll always cherish...lol.
Thank god for those bullies, I say...

Laura Pauling said...

Especially as a writer I love those pages too!

Cristina said...

so funny, I love to check the bios too.

I've been a lover of books ever since I could remember, and I dabbled in writing here and there growing up, but it's been just in the past year that I've made it a priority.

Stina said...

I read those pages to see who their agent is. It's a habit now. ;)

Candyland said...

I've always written and Creative Writing was my fav class in high school, though I didn't start writing seriously until I started song writing about 11 years ago. Then, it morphed into books :)

Katie Ganshert said...

When I was a kid. I'd lay in bed and fill notebook after notebook with unfinished stories. :)

Artemis Grey said...

It started in childhood for me, although at the time, the stories were all oral, told around campfires and intended to scare the crap out of each other. Writing the stories down came later, when I was twelve or thirteen.

Emily White said...

I don't think there was ever anything that made me want to start writing. It was something I feel I was simply born to do, whether for my own enjoyment (to be seen by only me) or for others. I can remember going to bookstores when I was little and always being drawn to the journals. All those empty pages were like crack to me. I needed to fill them.

Actually, I'm still the same way. Every time I go to a bookstore, I immediately go over to the journals. :)

Jess said...

I started by keeping journals of family trips :)

Summer Frey said...

I was writing stories very young, but I distinctly remember the beginning of noveling: 9 years old. A green, spiral bound college-ruled notebook. It was the beginning of the end! And I never stopped. Wrote pretty much every day, every night, and am still going strong! :)

Cheyanne said...

I started writing as a child, but it never occurred to me to write for publication until I was an adult. As a child, I wrote tons of stories and sent them around my family to read, and back then, that was all the audience I needed.

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I wrote some as a child, but it was never a driving passion. Guess years of reading book and watching science fiction movies prompted me to create my own story.

Jillian said...

I started writing because it is better than being stuck in my own head hahahaha

Have a great weekend

Meredith said...

I started writing as a kid--horrible stories about Mr. Peach and Mr. Plum. My dad would tell me stories every night, so I guess I got that from him.

Creepy Query Girl said...

I always had a crazy imagination but I discovered my love of writing right along with my love of reading- around 13 years old or so. I did some LJ smith fan fiction when I was in highschool and started two books that never got finished just because I wanted to live something different from my own life. Other than that I just always enjoyed expressing myself through writing- even if it was just a paper for a class.

Lindsay N. Currie said...

I wrote a ton as a child. . .usually poems and short stories. I think it's something I was meant to enjoy. Great post Jen:)

Johanna Garth said...

It never occurred to me as a kid-seriously, I loved to read and I kept a journal but the whole writer thing just never popped into my brain. It wasn't until I had my daughter that the lightbulb went on.

mshatch said...

I wrote my first story in 6th grade - about a girl, Cathy, who went to the fair for her birthday and fell off the ferris wheel - last words from the mother, hunched over her dead and bleeding daughter: "Happy Birthday, Cathy." Oh, dear, a little too dramatic perhaps? Anyway, haven't stopped writing since :)

Laura S. said...

I like reading the author's page and acknowledgments too! I found my passion when I learned to read by myself. I loved books so much I decided to write my own!

Bidisha said...

I started early. Very early infact. It began with telling my mother stories every night. Yes, it was the other way around for us.

Li said...

I wish you had answered your own question, when did you start? :)) Like someone above, I was bullied as a kid and spent a lot of time reading, writing, and colouring. The art didn't pan out, but the writing bug came back at 10year intervals all my life. About a year and a half ago, a good friend said "You should be writing, you know." So I took him at his word and began again.

Kimberly Franklin said...

I always read the acknowledgements first too!

And I started writing because... well, I can only think I started because I must have been crazy at that moment. But I wouldn't change my inital decision for the world! :)

Nicole Zoltack said...

I've always been writing. I'll never stop!

Michelle Merrill said...

I started writing about the same time you did...or at least the time you decided to write your first novel. Jan 2010 right? I can honestly tell you that I was not a writer before. Well, maybe just in my head for a little bit before, but that's it.

And I like to read the acknowledgements after I finish the book. I love to get the feel of the writer and know what they went through to get that book on the shelf. Just like you...but later :)

Elena Solodow said...

I always read the acknowledgements too - it's great to get some insight.

Abby Minard said...

I have always loved to write, but never really thought I was good enough to make it my profession. I wrote so many stories when I was little- I found one the other day- a whole sci fi dystopian thing with made up words and everything. I must have done it in 3rd grade or so. Not until my husband encouraged me to actually write my ideas down did I start writing seriously. And I love reading the acknowledgements as well.

Mary Aalgaard said...

As soon as I could hold a pencil, or crayon. I remember writing letters and stories to my Grandma. She'd "read" them. But, I didn't know I wanted to be a published author until I was in my 30's.

Unknown said...

ahaha. This is a perfect time to tell you that I tagged you in a meme on my blog...which describes why I write--as an escape.

Looking back, I had always loved to write anyway, I just didn't know what I was trying to say!

lensight said...

Started early,used to have personal dairies where all secrets n reflections were penned,but cud n agree more on acknowledgments,there's always so much tactile honesty in it,I remember my research paper for my post grad, the acknowledgments par is still my favourite :)

Laura said...

I started because I like the physical act of writing - the graze of the pencil on the paper, or the way the ballpoint feels... I love a bruised page that is filled with words. I needed to have a lot to write - so books seemed the natural thing.
Lx

Chuck said...

Tomorrow...yes, tomorrow I started writing. maybe.

Anonymous said...

I've always had an overactive imagination. Then when I became a bookworm in middle school, I figured out what my calling was.

Lindsey said...

i started writing when i was in high school. it was much easier to talk to a sheet a paper than trying to explain what i was feeling without everyone thinking i was too crazy. although i don't do it for my profession, i love to write.
and i love the blog.

hope you are having an awesome weekend!
Lindsey.

Dafeenah said...

I started writing very early about age 9 or 10 but until recently never really considered myself a writer. I wrote journals, poetry and short stories but never shared them or even told people that I wrote and then when I started blogging I was bitten by the bug and there was no turning back.

Slamdunk said...

I am with you on wanting to know the author's story before reading a book. If the insert is not informative enough, I'll go with Google as well.

For me, I communicate better while running--so writing allows me to explain ideas that I would likely fumble if spoken.