When did you know you wanted to pursue writing?

[moderntimes]

I've always written, starting when I was just a kid, writing SF stories based on my faves, Edgar Rice Burroughs' John Carter of Mars or maybe Tarzan.

In college I created, wrote, edited an "underground" newsletter that had the dean of students in an uproar. It was never discovered who was the phantom writer, ha ha.

Later I strung for a newspaper and the AP, and wrote "expose" articles for a local monthly magazine (fake car repair shops, bad restaurants, etc).

Then I continued and have done so to this day, writing magazine articles, book & movie reviews, essays, short stories, and most recently, a series of modern American private detective novels.

Most of this hasn't "paid the light bill" and my actual "day job" career began as a research chemist and then into computers, later as a consultant for engineering specifications for mostly safety and environmental documentation for "big oil" deepwater exploration and drilling. Which certainly paid the rent and of course, a lot more. But it was still writing in a way. Luckily I was able to mix my technical knowhow and literary skills, a very nice thing to do.

But yeah, I've written all my life, still write (and read) voraciously.

[T_Reed]

For me writing wasn't something I was instantly in love with. Truthfully I hated writing and would have rather day dreamed than write anything. It wasn't until sixth grade that I realized I could write down those same day dreams and share them with everyone else, during a writing assignment. I believe it was something about writing a descriptive short story with yourself or someone you know as the main character. At the time my friend had been getting bullied and was really sad so, I made my story about her. I can't even remember what the story was about, but I remember her smile when it was time for it to be read out loud. It was then that I realized I could actually make people happy with the things I had dreamt up

[kittyTM]

As a child I had a very active imagination. I had imaginary friends and imaginary worlds, I was so many creatures and people, but it became clear that I was, above all, a story teller and a poet, and as soon as I knew how to form letters and words, I was writing short-stories and stretching my creativity muscle. Obviously, at such a young age, the stories were childish with basic themes and minimal vocabularies, but I was lucky to live in a household that encouraged creativity because I eventually grew up to publish a non-fiction at age 16, and am working on several fictional stories at this very moment!

[scorp0111]

I have been writing for my own satisfaction ever since I was a preschooler- making up stories and short rhymes. As I grew up my writings started looking better 6 years back I decided to quit my full time career in the finance industry and took the plunge to pursue writing as a career. I haven't looked back ever since .

[Jasmine_Mannan]

I've been making up and telling stories since i learnt to talk. I remember scribbling on paper and saying i had wrote a book when i was about five or six. I have always loved writing.

[Chizzyon]

I think i did as a child. Always loved writing stories. Still love writing but only when am free and in a good mood

[milliethom]

I really began to enjoy writing stories when I was about nine. At the same time, all I wanted to do was read. When I was twelve my English teacher praised my 'vivid imagination', which, of course went quite to my head! Anyway, my love of writing never waned but, as with many people, the necessities of everyday life, earning a living and bringing up a family got in the way for a long time. Only in the last few years did I actually take myself in hand and put pen to paper, as they say. But I do so wish I'd started earlier.

[julietanabelle44]

In 6th grade, all I ever did was write and I feel like writing is who I am. It feels right to put my thoughts and ideas on paper it's an amazing feeling to create new worlds and new characters.

[clmartz]

I started writing "woe is me" poetry when I was a young teenager, and then moved into YA short stories. I suffered from depression through most of my teen years, and it served as an outlet for me during this time--I was able to create a world that seemed like it was worse than mine, and make my characters overcome when I couldn't. I've been hooked since; thankfully the worlds in my creation have become less grim over the years.

[ALynnPowers]

Third grade, after my teacher gave us this assignment to write our own book... stapling ten pieces of construction paper together and illustrating the story.

[Amheiser]

I remember writing short stories when I was in elementary school and my teachers liked my ideas but reading was what I enjoyed most so that's what I spent most of my spare time doing. Then when my first child was born I started keeping a journal because I didn't want to forget about any of the special moments we had and I thought it might be fun for my children to read about their childhood from the time they were too young to remember. We also made up stories together and both of my children are very good at writing now. Then my journal started to be where I could write out all my frustrations with life. I want to keep writing now but I like to have blocks of time for writing and those don't happen much right now so I'm still mostly reading with hopes of some day writing children's stories from the ideas my children gave me.

[SharisseEM]

When I was 16. I was writing fanfiction before that and I never let anyone read it. Then when I was 16, our teachers were emphasising the future and wanting to know what we wanted to do. I started writing my own stuff and it was like an epiphany. I wanted to be an author.

[ehsanch]

Since I was a kid

[zeldas_lullaby]

Um... OK, picture it: October, 2013. I was unfunded for my next woodworking project, and I needed a less expensive way to pass the time. I was messing around online and came across a mention of a local short story contest. I didn't want to enter the contest, but I did suddenly wonder, "Could I write a short story?" So I did, that evening. It was called Unlawful. It scandalized all of my family members. They were horrified. "Don't publish this!" they pleaded. "Don't enter that contest!" And then they were like, "Can't you write anything more wholesome?"
So I started writing Forever Twelve that night. Here I am still writing (its sequel).

To back up the train, I grew up keeping diaries in which I narrated my life rather than just writing my emotions, or whatever. I practiced making my life seem like a story with dialogue and such. But I never wrote any fiction.

[ALynnPowers]

Cute story!

Unfortunately for me, my desire to write started at age 8.... and I'm pretty sure my writing ability hasn't improved at all since then.