This really comes down to the individual. I interact with a lot of young people and, while many are TikTok-style fans, enthralled by the instant gratification of a thirty second video, others love becoming immersed in the depths of a book. When I ask what might motivate the person in the person in the video, I tend to get blank stares. This is the part you miss when you don't read, what lies behind the action. To me, that is the most important.
I didn't, ever. Even at a young age I recognized how important writing was to me but all my career planning went into areas that would feed me and my family, yet leave me time to do my writing. Most writers, even very good ones, never make a living at it.
However, writing was always a big part of my career. That writing wasn't so much creative, as practical. I wrote what I was good at, training manuals, technical manuals, etc, not what I loved, creative writing.
Sadly, they are incredibly important. Regardless of how good the content of a book is, if it doesn't entice, encourage, con the reader into opening the book, reading through the first paragraph, the book will likely flounder.
Keeping life from interfering with what I want to be doing. Every day I have to prioritize the things I have to do, like eating, taking care of my home and belongings, ensuring my family is safe and secure. With that accomplished, I need to defend myself from the myriad of distractions and dramas going on around me that I don't need to be involved in. This struggles ensures I have time to write. This is the part that feeds my soul.
I started my first novel while in grade five, so I was about ten. I wrote little things before that but I don't recall the substance. Probably silly poems and anger-filled prose. I recall the entire plotline of that fist novel even though I never finished it. What inspired me to serious writing was a short story penned by my oldest brother, Mark. I read it when I was fourteen or fifteen and it just blew me away that he could write something I loved so much. That made me realize that I could make a literary contribution as well. As a testament to the path he opened before me, I rewrote his story under the title This Place. As yet it has not been published.
This is a humbling experience but it is so much appreciated. I always stop and answer any questions they have, ask them what stories they have enjoyed and if they can tell me why. I want to write more that they will love. Even those who may not be as appreciative of my vision, can give me insights into other ways I can write. All feedback is useful.
