I currently primarily write urban fantasy because I like putting modern, everyday people in a supernatural situation and seeing how they would react and overcome. I also love fantasy elements but find creating a traditional high-fantasy world to be a little daunting. I do have a high-fantasy world in the works, and also have a realistic fiction story with no fantasy elements whatsoever in progress, but if I were to try and change genres I would like to delve into sci-fi. It's pretty similar to fantasy, but I find it even more daunting still. Trying to come up with a realistic future that could potentially happen, coming up with realistic ways that machines could work, it is a little overwhelming. I have a fun idea for a sci-fi but can't seem to get past the point of how space ships work. It's something I'll have to keep working on in order to write sci-fi confidently.
I haven't used specific events, really, but the small details in my novels point towards small details I know in real life. For example, character quirks like favorite toppings on a pizza are influenced by people I know and what they personally like. A few characters are named after people I know, even if their personalities are nothing like the inspired people. I find pulling details from real life helps make characters and the story as a whole feel more real.
What made me think to write seriously for a career one day was finishing the book Eragon and learning that Christopher Paolini was in his teens when it was published. It was an inspiration for me. As one of my favorite books to this date (I love dragons and magic), I thought that if he could do it, so could I. I was 12 at the time. I have been writing ever since, and at the time of this answer I am 25 with my first published novel having come out a few days ago.
