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What inspired you to write?

What inspired you to write?

  • Reading books

    Votes: 19 54.3%
  • Films/games

    Votes: 4 11.4%
  • Other

    Votes: 12 34.3%

  • Total voters
    35
C

Chessie

Guest
It always seemed I had a story I wanted to entertain people with. Writing is such a release for me. I do it because I love the process, tedious as it may be.
 

Gecks

Scribe
I ticked "reading books" on the poll, but it's a mix of that and "other" I guess.

I have always made up stories in my head and sort of 'play' them like a game, if that makes sense. As a younger child, I tended to place myself as a main character, but have increasingly separated myself from the story as I got older. I liked to take things that were actually happening and pretend like it was something else (for YEARS as a kid I role-played in my head that I was a captive in some sort of stronghold.. er, apparently that's how I interpreted school).

I was very lucky to have a friend when I was about 10 or so, who would share these games with me. When we 'played' it involved less physical play really (though we did a lot of running about), and more describing to each other what was going on around us. Sort of like story-telling, but we pretended we had travelled to that world.

My brother (1 year younger than me) would also play this type of game with me when we were little, though it was always led by me. He was always happy to just follow the plotline I created though.
 

SineNomine

Minstrel
Overactive imagination. Someone can half-finish a random thought and I can't help but go off on a tangent in my own mind and eventually build a narrative around it. I always felt like a macgyver with story prompts. You give me a shoelace, half a pack of bubble gum, and an old rusted trowel and I'll build a story idea and just add and add to the narrative until it seems silly that it actually came from a core idea that pedestrian. Writing is a great outlet for that desire to build narratives.
 

Jabrosky

Banned
I've had a creative streak as far back as I can remember, which is around ages four to five. Most of the time I would express this through drawing, and still do, but like most people I always appreciate a good story too. In addition, most of the standardized tests I have taken (e.g. SATs and IQ) have reported that I have above-average verbal skills, so I figure a career as a writer would play to my strengths.
I want to expand on what I posted earlier. I believe there is some kind of relationship between my drawing and writing. What happened to me yesterday was that I wanted to draw a certain scene in my head, but I couldn't get it to look right on paper, so I wrote the scene out instead. This was how my recent Pharaoh's Justice story which you can see in the Showcase came about. It's like I'm more inspired to write when I feel I can't draw a given moment.
 
Wow good question, I dont really know, I have always been fairly creative, Terrible at drawing , But very very creative.
Ever since i was young i loved exploring, Going into forests and getting lost on purpose just to see where it took me, Climbing up hills just to see what was on the other side , all that sort of thing, I live in scotland so the scenery is amazing , It just seems as if i could picture a setting from a fantasy novel playing out in some of the valleys with lochs at the bottom, a cave that seems to swallow the heroes up with its darkness, the lovely greenery around the side of it and its all at the foot of a mountain with snow on top. You can almost imagine the creatures etc.
I also have been into RPG as long as i can remember so that played a pretty big part.
 

Sam James

Dreamer
For me, anything I enjoy I have a burning desire to craft it too. In my house I have masses of DJ equipment and production software on my computer because I like electronic music. I listen to the music and think 'I want to make stuff like this,' and so I learnt to. I like photography too, and so learning how to take nice pictures with a DSLR was a must. Everytime I read a book that I love I think, 'yeah, I want to write stories like these too.' It fills up my brain until I can't do anything except give into the demand and try to create what it is my brain is obsessing over.
 

Vicki

Dreamer
I was doing freelance word processing to earn some money. A man brought me the manuscript of a novel to type, saying he already had and agent and the book was as good as sold. It was the worst drivel imaginable. I asked him if I could edit it as I typed, but he said no, his agent wanted it just as it was. I took the manuscript back to him and said I couldn't do it, even though I needed the money. Then I thought to myself, I could do better than that! And did. My first novel, although not published impressed an editor so much, she put it before the editorial board of her company and was only defeated by one dissenting member.
I have never been without at least one library card since I was seven and have probably read more than 6,000 books, so that helps, but I always wanted to be an artist.
 

Vicki

Dreamer
I want to expand on what I posted earlier. I believe there is some kind of relationship between my drawing and writing. What happened to me yesterday was that I wanted to draw a certain scene in my head, but I couldn't get it to look right on paper, so I wrote the scene out instead. This was how my recent Pharaoh's Justice story which you can see in the Showcase came about. It's like I'm more inspired to write when I feel I can't draw a given moment.
I can relate well to your experience with art and writing. I know I was born to be an artist. I drew and painted from the time I could hold a pencil, but it never quite took off. I now paint pictures with words, but still look at the world around me with the eyes of a painter, absorbing the colors and shapes, the transitions and movement. I also love designing anything.
 

draken

Dreamer
I've had a creative streak as far back as I can remember, which is around ages four to five. Most of the time I would express this through drawing, and still do, but like most people I always appreciate a good story too. In addition, most of the standardized tests I have taken (e.g. SATs and IQ) have reported that I have above-average verbal skills, so I figure a career as a writer would play to my strengths.

I had exactly the same gifts growing up but unfortunatly in my 'house/school' such creativity was actively punished, especially in a girl. I am happy to report that i have nearly 'abandoned'(you never really finish a work merely set it free) my first novel and written several short stoies to prove them wrong. i just wanted to ask if you had similar a similar reaction to your creative intelligence, and if so how did you overcome it. im curious to know if a creative intelligent mind alway equals suffering as i know several people in my local writers group who have similar expierences to my own.
 
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Jabrosky

Banned
I had exactly the same gifts growing up but unfortunatly in my 'house/school' such creativity was actively punished, especially in a girl. I am happy to report that i have nearly 'abandoned'(you never really finish a work merely set it free) my first novel and written several short stoies to prove them wrong. i just wanted to ask if you had similar a similar reaction to your creative intelligence, and if so how did you overcome it. im curious to know if a creative intelligent mind alway equals suffering as i know several people in my local writers group who have similar expierences to my own.
Fortunately my parents never had the attitude that creativity was something to be punished. If anything, they've always been encouraging and still are to this today. I cannot imagine why any parent would stifle their children's creativity, let alone along gendered lines.
 

draken

Dreamer
Fortunately my parents never had the attitude that creativity was something to be punished. If anything, they've always been encouraging and still are to this today. I cannot imagine why any parent would stifle their children's creativity, let alone along gendered lines.

It was a prevalnt attitude in the republic (of Ireland), especially in the midland and rural area's before the 1990's. intelligence especially in girls was ssen as something unnatural. I guess religion and economics are at the root cause of such negitive attitudes. Also the arts were not seen as produvtive labour, it was assumed that you couldn't make a decent living from creative persuits nor was it the proper occupation for a 'good cathloic woman'. I guess my parents wanted me to have a job where I could make money and writing wasn't seen as productive labour and I was expected to devote my life to making grandchildren, things have changed somewhat nowadays.
 

Varasneba

Dreamer
My written voice has often been stronger than my verbal. I just don't tend to have that quick wit needed in the average pace of conversation. I stumble over the subtleties of flow. Writing has always helped me get to the point at the pace I like it. I find that writing more improves my verbal communication as well.

I have kept a journal since childhood, but am turning to fantasy fiction writing as a hobby, being of my favorite genre to read & watch.
 

Harmonytoo

Acolyte
I've been an avid reader my whole life. My grandmother was a reading teacher so she made sure we always had lots of books to read. Writing seems to be an extension of my reading experiences.
 
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