When did you start writing?

I don't know what age exactly I started writing, but I know I've been doing so since I was a fairly little kid. I'm guessing, if I had to pinpoint a reason why I did, it may be because my parents used to read stories to me all the time when I was very little, and I'd enjoy the stories that teachers read in elementary school, with all the cool pictures and whatnot, and I guess I wanted to try writing my own as a result. I remember writing a lot of tales involving the adventures of two kids named Amanda and Wally (don't know why I picked those names, but they were apparently my favorite names when I was a kid).

Funny thing, though, up until the age of 10 I had given no thought to writing as a profession. I wanted to be a nurse, actually. But then a teacher in fourth grade read a story I'd written, and she said, "When you write your first novel, you should dedicate it to me." . Ever since then, I've turned my focus to writing (and considering how my anatomy/physiology grades were in high school, my decision to not be a nurse is probably a good thing for that profession ). I also love writing because I tend to be a rather quiet person when talking face to face with people, and sometimes I feel like I don't always explain myself very well when talking. Writing helps me focus and gives me much more confidence to say things I've always wanted to say, and to express my ideas and feelings and beliefs much more clearly.