It’s not the first Wednesday of the month, but the Insecure Writer’s Support Group (#IWSG) day got set for today anyway because last Wednesday was New Year’s. I should really start to schedule these posts in advance, as right now I’m sick with the flu and not in the mood to blog. I mean, yesterday I ran a fever. Probably the days before too, but I didn’t have it checked then. Today I’m fine temperature-wise, but I still feel generally awful. I spent the entire day in bed.
This month’s optional question is what inspired you to start on your writing journey. The short answer is I don’t know. I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. My parents did encourage me, even though looking back I was a pretty awful fiction writer. Either they didn’t notice, which I doubt as my Mom read a lot, or they didn’t want to discourage me.
I first started writing actual stories and even what could’ve turned into books had I finished them when I was around thirteen. I don’t know what inspired me to draft those first manuscripts.
In the summer that I turned fourteen, I discovered my favorite Dutch YA author, Caja Cazemier. She was definitely an inspiration for me. A few of my stories actually contained a lot of plagiarism from her.
And then I discovered the Internet and I started writing for an audience. Well, at first I didn’t really care about an audience. My original online diary had about five readers including my parents and the site I hosted it on, didn’t have a comment function. I actually moved it to WordPress inspired by some criticism I’d gotten from my parents about it.
I’m not sure what else to say right now. I am currently very much inspired to continue writing by the people I meet online. I can’t even imagine writing without an audience in mind anymore.
A Multitude of Musings 
Yes, keep writing, it’s good for the soul. I sure hope you feel better soon.
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I wish almost more than anything I had never cared about an audience.
Replace “parents” with “paternal grandfather” and that was my situation from April 1995 to October of that year.
And I find out only in January 1998 – with a disaster a year later.
Then in October 1999 I decide – I write what I want – for myself. Which I should have done for ten years and commit to for the next twenty-one.
I think of Independence Chick’s words about “don’t let your agency stunt your growth” and how important this is to people like us.
Your first blog was DiaryLand? Or TeenOpenDiary?
Yay that People Online inspire you, Astrid.
And yay for CC.
Feeling the flu from the screen.
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My online diary was on DiaryLand, although I briefly had one on Teen Open Diary too.
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