My Brain Won't Stop, But Where Is It Going?
Some of my very first books were from the Choose Your Own Adventure series. If you are not familiar with these small children's books, they allow the reader to become the main character. Beyond that, the plot of the story changes based on decisions by the reader. There can be many possible endings - but they may only be discovered by the reader making choices.
I've always preferred the high epic fantasy and hard science fiction genres. Piers Anthony was a favorite author of mine. Perhaps because the very first long novel I ever finished on my own (without the pressure of parents or teachers) was On A Pale Horse by Piers Anthony. From there it was on to Companions of Xanth and another world. While I've always been a slow reader, I find that my mind delivers vivid imagery, rich sounds, and deep emotion from the works of fiction I read. While in college I learned about the 'suspension of disbelief' - and was made aware how low the hurdle for my 'suspension of disbelief' was set! I really, really got into whatever I was reading, or watching at the moment. ......
There was a time I recall asking how to write a book, a story, or a novel. From some arts and crafts store, or local educational supply store, my mother found a large poster about plot lines, character development, proper grammar and sentence structure. I liked the poster a lot - figured it was my ticket to being an author - then promptly hung it up inside my closet door with the other toys. Something in me loved the idea of writing - of exploring other worlds - perhaps even worlds I dreamed of inside, and longed to visit myself. But another part of me had a hard time sitting down to write...