The book that started it all

I was already interested in creative writing by the time I started high school, but up until then, I usually was writing short stories. The book that really influenced me to be a novel writer was SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson.

I was so drawn to Melinda's character, to why she couldn't speak, to her situation. All because when I had spoken up about something, it ended up backfiring on me and suddenly I was the victim of tons of teasing and being talked about behind my back in  junior high that carried into high school because of some mean junior high kids. I mean, I was always quiet growing up, so speaking up was HUGE for me, and it ended up being a really unwise decision. Anyway, my connection to Melinda in that way was major for me. And Anderson's writing was amazing too.

I suddenly wanted to write a novel. And I did. Though, my first ever attempt was such a ripoff of SPEAK and I didn't finish it when a teacher assistant I told my story idea to compared it to that book.

By January of my freshman year, I had a cool sci-fi dream that developed into an idea for a YA sci-fi book. I finished it on my 16th birthday sophomore year. I was so freaking happy I finished writing a book.

Funny story - two guys who asked me about my Dell computer noted I had a writing self-help book titled, You Can Write a Novel and asked me about my book. I told them it was a YA sci-fi where two teens save the world. They joked that they'd see me two years later on Oprah. Hahaha.

But anyway, while revising, I joined the amazing writer forum, Absolute Write. And then I discovered my writing SUCKED. I was ripped apart in the critique forum.

I've come a long way since then, September 2007. In high school, I used to write speculative fiction, but by graduation, after dumping my ass of a boyfriend, I started writing YA romance and fell so in love with the genre. It fit too because I was such (still am) a hopeless romantic.

And that's how I began writing novels and later my current genre.

I'm so happy there are fantastic books like SPEAK for inspiration. Before then, I had been a voracious reader. And now I'm more of a writer who reads on the side.

So now I offer the question to any writers reading this post: What inspired you to write novels?