We often wonder when an author knew they wanted to
write. So many times I’ve heard writers answer that question with similar
responses: “I always wanted to be a writer”, “As soon as I learned to read, I
knew I wanted to write”, “Before I could write I would tell stories”, or they
would know a specific age at which they realized they wanted to try their hand
at writing. There are those few who didn’t begin writing until they were older,
but I’ve only met a few of them. It would be interesting to research what it
was that influenced that small group to become writers.
I believe there is some type of DNA, some kind of brain
chemistry that wired up certain individuals to write. Have you ever heard a
writer say something like, “I can’t NOT write.” Or, “If I didn’t write I’d go
crazy.”? The writers I know love to write and it doesn’t seem to matter to them
if they make money at it or not; they just write because they have to and they
want to.
I think the traits of a born writer come out early in
life when we’re children. I remember as a child being terrified of foxes. I dreamed about
those gigantic monsters coming after me determined to devour me until my
parents took me to a zoo and showed me a real live fox that was no bigger than
a house cat. Monsters lurked behind every tree and animals could talk to me in
my imagination. When I was four years old I recall telling my maternal
grandfather a story about rabbits coming down from Heaven. Where did that come
from?
Pop once told me I built “straw men” and then got scared of them. Neither
he nor I thought that imaginative monster building might be the first signs of
a potential writer-in-waiting.
Writers are often avid readers. The love of
words runs deep in a writer’s soul.
When did you first get the urge to write? Were you a child
with a big imagination? How old were you when you decided to write (fiction or
nonfiction)? Did you have a parent who noticed your potential as a writer? Did
that parent encourage you along the way to develop your talent?
Sarah
J. McNeal is a multi-published author of several
genres including time travel, paranormal, western and historical fiction. She
is a retired ER and Critical Care nurse who lives in North Carolina with her
four-legged children, Lily, the Golden Retriever and Liberty, the cat. Besides
her devotion to writing, she also has a great love of music and plays several
instruments including violin, bagpipes, guitar and harmonica. Her books and
short stories may be found at Prairie Rose Publications and its imprints
Painted Pony Books, and Fire Star Press. She welcomes you to her website
and social media:
