Writing a book is a serious commitment. It’s something that just about everyone thinks about doing at one time or another, but actually sitting down to devote hundreds of hours to one task takes a big dream and lots of elbow grease.
Whether we came to it early in life or late in life, chances are there was someone along the way who crystallized that feeling of, “Hey, I want to do this” or, better yet, “Hey, I can do this.”
Who is the most influential person (or people) who set you on this path? Was it an author, a mentor, a loved one?
My most influential writing personages have been Roald Dahl, who made me want to be a writer when I was a kid (I subsequently moved onto other dreams), and my wife, whose support was there whenever I battled the Am I Crazies.
How about you?
Mrs. Smith, my sixth grade english teacher. She was the first person to tell me that my writing was good and she encouraged me to write fiction. I'd planned to take my first finished manuscript to her and thank her, but she died before I was done. I hope she somehow knew how grateful I was.
Ted Tally. He did the adaptation that brought Silence of the Lambs to the screen. I didn't know screenwriting existed until I happened to notice his name in the credits. (I did see the movie 3 times in 3 days, so, it cut down the odds.) That set me on my journey.
Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. An amazing author who wrote her first book at 13 and had it published the next year at only 14.