I definitely saw it as a writing career. This was back in the day when self-publishing wasn't as prevalent as it is today and teenage me wanted so badly to get a book deal from a major publisher. I spent countless hours combing through any book I could get my hands on that listed publishers and agents, always terrified to submit anything but still hoping to take that first step beyond dreaming.
For years, my writing style reflected the writing of whatever book I was reading at the time. Within the past 9 months, I've noticed my writing take on a life of its own, unaffected by the style of another author. It's really cool to see, because I feel like I have my style has been strengthened enough to be an independent skill.
I've been consistently writing for close to 9 years. Before that, writing was an on and off thing which began in middle school. My love of a good story influenced me to start writing and I found myself asking the question, "if they can do it, why not me?" But what really began my journey was learning that Christopher Paolini wrote Eragon at the age of 15. Before that, I had no idea someone could write a book that young.
