I have been writing journals and short stories since I was in high school. Some of my friends would try and convince me to try and write professionally but I always felt I wasn't good enough. Well fast-forward twenty years later, my son sees me writing a story. He told me the same thing. I should try to do it professionally, and again I said no I'm not good enough. He looked at me then and said, well if you can give up on your dream I guess I should give up mine. That's when I decided I had to try. I have always told me, kids, that they could accomplish anything. I was not about to let my kids just give up on their dreams simply because they saw me giving up on mine.
Yes, I have. I feel using real-life situations that I personally have gone through helps me connect to the characters and my readers. It is easier for me to create a story that I can personally relate too.
