Sparks and Small Windows
Three Books That Made Me Want to Write Something, Anything
Some books stick with you in ways you don’t fully notice at the time. For me, Eragon, The Hobbit, and The Angel Experiment left small impressions that made me want to put words on a page. It was not about wanting to copy them or thinking I could make anything perfect, just the simple awareness that stories could exist and that I might try creating one too.
1. The Pull of Adventure
All three books made me want to see what happened next. There was a curiosity, a sense of following along, even when I did not know why I was drawn in. Reading them, I noticed the tension of a character moving through unknown spaces, the way a sequence of events could feel connected, and how moments of risk or discovery could be compelling simply because they existed. That feeling of following along and imagining myself in that same world made me want to try writing my own sequences, my own moments of curiosity, without worrying about how polished they might be.
2. The Way Characters Move Through Stories
What stayed with me was not just plot or setting, but the choices characters made, small or large, and the consequences that followed. Whether it was a boy learning to navigate responsibility, a hobbit moving step by step through new territory, or a kid trying to solve problems on the fly (pun intended), I noticed how much of the story came from watching someone act, stumble, or persist. That made me think about what I might do if I tried writing, how to put a character in motion and see where they go, even in small ways.
3. Noticing Possibility
Mostly, reading these books made me aware that writing itself was possible. I did not know what I could do, and I did not need to. Just seeing that stories existed and that I could pay attention to how they worked gave me permission to try. I started noticing patterns, voices, pacing, and small details, not to imitate them, but to understand how a story could be built from scratch. That quiet sense of possibility is still what drives me to write.
Summary
These books did not make me special, and they were not perfect. But they left traces: curiosity, attention, and the quiet sense that trying to write was worth it. Some stories do not just entertain; they make you notice what is possible.
I will be sharing my own creative writing this April, and I am looking forward to putting some of it out into the world.