When I meet people for the first time, they typically ask me about my career. I think this is a standard question for most social situations and a common icebreaker. When I disclose that I’m a writer, I’m often surprised by how many people confess that they, too, have dreamed of writing something. Invariably, they ask me how I got started. My answer is always the same. I just started writing.

I don’t know about you, but I had a strong inkling that I wanted to be a writer many years before I actually wrote anything. Specifically, I knew that I wanted to write fiction. I assumed that an idea for a story would magically appear in my head one day and then I would begin the writing process, but that never occurred. The older I got, the more I began to worry, fearing that my dream of writing fiction would never come to fruition. The years passed, but no book ideas fluttered across my imagination. Finally, I realized that the ideas were waiting for me to make the first move. I think they wanted to see how much I actually wanted to fulfill my dream and test my determination a little. So, I began to write. I kept a journal at first, capturing my impressions of people, situations, and life in general. I wrote about my feelings and memories. I worked my way up to some creative writing exercises and then took a writing class that was taught by a published author. Finally, almost six months after I began writing, an idea for a story came to me.

It showed up in a moment when I was doing nothing more than enjoying the beauty of the world around me. The idea began to unravel in my mind like a flag unfurling, and I fell in love with it. I thought to myself that it would make a great story and that someone really ought to write it down, and then I realized I was the person who was meant to write it. The ideas and characters had been there waiting for me all along. Since that day, I have written several stories for young children, and I’m currently working on a YA novel. They have all been equal parts joy, surprise, wonder, and yes, even sometimes frustration. But they have all been worth the wait.

So, if you’ve always wanted to write something, I don’t think it really matters where you begin. The important thing is to start writing.