Reflecting back, what made an impact?
Casino Royale by Ian Fleming Image by ABC’s Castle
A thought occurred to me as I was watching the latest episode of Castle. Without spoiling the episode, I’ll just hint to where the thought came from. Closer to the end of the episode, Richard Castle was reminded about the book that caused him to become an author. He said that when he read Casino Royale he was inspired to write his own spy novel. Which he ended up writing a spy series, and later a detective series. It was a really sweet moment in the episode, but it caused me to think about what book caused me to become a writer.
I couldn’t really narrow down to a certain book. It really surprised me. Though I’ve always enjoyed reading, though it was a bit difficult for me to read for school (to remember details for exams). It all started with my parents. When I was little they read to me stories in English, and in Spanish. Then when I started to read on my own, I started to drift towards series. Though I’ve read books that weren’t part of a series, none that I could think of really persuaded me to write. So the first series that came to mind that made me want to be a writer was Harry Potter.
J.K. Rowling wove an amazing story through seven books that have made impact in so many lives. For me it wasn’t just the story, but also the author’s own personal story that persuaded me as well. Even at the most difficult part of her life, she wrote the first book. Even after she finished it, it was turned down by many publishers (which I’m sure they regret it now). That didn’t stop her. Some how her character’s story appeared on the shelves. She couldn’t even imagine how that story would make an impact.
Then there are certain authors that I started with one of their books and continued to read more of their books, such as Jane Austen and Nicholas Sparks. It wasn’t very common for women during Jane Austen’s time period to write. Though she still wrote her stories, and kept writing even on her death bed. Nicholas Sparks is very well know for his novels, especially the ones that turn into movies. He started writing after he got a sports injury and didn’t have anything to do. So he decided to write a novel to see if he could do it.
It doesn’t matter to me if I’m “famous.” That’s not how I perceive success. It’s all about the story, and what the readers receive from it. The reward should be seeing your work finally on the shelve for others to read, and receiving feedback and reviews on it.
Jo March and Professor Bhaer in Little Women
Reading a great story can really inspire you to want to become a writer. It can also be a character that happens to be a writer, or a reporter. So that reminded me of the book, Little Women. My favorite character was Jo. She was a writer, who wanted to write a novel. It was one of my favorite stories when I was younger. The characters don’t really have to come from novels either. Lois Lane inspired me to become a reporter. Though I’m not a reporter now, the newspaper experiences that I had in high school and a bit in college have taught me skills to write as well.
Lois Lane and Clark Kent in the TV show, Smallville
It can also be the people around you that inspire you to become a writer. I had a friend of mine that inspired me to write in the school newspaper and literary magazine in high school. That was a stepping stone to what I would study in college to have a degree in Liberal Arts (English, and minor in Journalism). If it weren’t for a few friends in college that made me realize that I should study English. That gave me the opportunity to be taught by some amazing professors about literature, poetry, creative writing, and so much more. If I hadn’t made that decision to switch my major after my first semester, I might not be the person I am today. I might have graduated with a Business degree.
So why does this really matter, you may ask. Well, just as someone desires to know their family past to learn more of who they are. I believe each writer should learn, and/or remind themselves, what cause them to love writing. Which causes you reflect where you came from, how you’ve improved, and what you need to do to improve. That way when you have difficulties in writing, or in publishing, you can remind yourself why you love your craft. For it’s the craft, and the experience of creating something, that really matters more than any bump in the road.
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