The great thing about this, however, is that I have learned to find inspiration from just about everything around me.  I wrote a poem about chewing gum because I asked my 4 year old daughter what I should write about.  She has an obsession about gum and made her suggestion.

I can’t say that every poem I write is a masterpiece.  There are those that I love more than others.  There are stories that I enjoy more than others, and I don’t always have time to work on the latest chapter of my novel, but I have learned to take nearly any topic or thought and turn it into a poem or a string of sentences that I am willing to share with the public.

Inspiration can be found in any tangible object, or in a strand of conversation.  A song on the radio.  A news broadcast.  The people in our lives – especially friends and family.  All of these make good topics for poetry and stories.  The trick is looking closely enough at the world to care enough about it to write.

I read The Hobbit for the first time when I was five or six, and it was then that I decided to write fantasy stories.  I can’t say that I am the greatest author on the planet.  In fact, among fantasy authors I rank pretty low.  Life has its distractions and it is difficult to dedicate oneself to a lifestyle that doesn’t support a family.

This interest in fantasy, however, has given me a number of skills that I doubt I would have otherwise acquired.  It lead me to study the art of writing, which meant that I learned to love to read.

It lead me to a love of role-playing, which lead to a love of computers and technology.  This lead to a deeper understanding of mathematics, science, and a general love of learning.

Because I picked up The Hobbit at such a young age and because I couldn’t put it down again, I have very much been inspired to become the person that I am today.

So I ask, what book inspired you?