What inspires students to write?
We asked Heritage High School students attending a writing workshop by famed author Jeff Zentner to share their feelings about reading, writing, favorite authors and what inspires them to create. Here are their responses.
Skye Remko: Getting to create new worlds inspires me to write. I just love to write stuff that is cooler than real life.
Camryn Birtwistle: I like building worlds and characters and exploring the scenarios I have created.
Nixxie Price: Writing has always been a passion of mine. As I’ve gotten older I’m not able to play games with my imagination without looking crazy. So, to express my imagination I write my ideas down and turn them into a story. Writing is one of my last lifelines to keep my imagination alive.
Chase A: My favorite book is “Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25.”
Iris Paul: I enjoy reading more than writing. If I ever write, it will most likely only be fiction since I don’t like non-fiction.
Alec Rosser: I enjoy writing because it allows me to create a world of my own.
Destiny Cross: I enjoy writing because it is something I can express myself with. It is also a way to get my story and what I have been through told, that way I can help other people.
Morgan Breeden: I enjoy writing because it’s not something that everyone does anymore. I like the uniqueness of it. I also enjoy writing because it’s a way to express myself in a way words [verbally] don’t. Some of my favorite authors are Nicolas Sparks, Edgar Allen Poe, and J.K. Rowling. I mostly write poems and short stories.
Ayanna Sidney: I like to write about my feelings, and they also inspire me. I enjoy writing poems and random short stories.
Cordell Norton: I love how reading can take me to a new place. I love to write how I can make people feel what I feel.
Kristen R: What I like about writing is how, like a reader, I could get lost in a story. What inspires me is prompts I see online and real life experiences.
Katelyn Rhodes: I fell in love with writing and reading when I was just a little girl. For me it is a way of escape from reality, my reality. With each new book you are taken to a different world, the same with writing. It’s honestly this world’s purest magic. What inspires my writing is my own life events, shows and movies.
Tim Grayson: My favorite thing about writing is how my mind starts going about good ideas.
Alysha Funderburk: I love writing because it lets me show people how I feel and gives them someone to relate to. Writing is my passion, and giving something to the world that some enjoy is an amazing feeling. My favorite authors are Jeff Zentner and Courtney Stevens.
Sarah Liebau: Words have a weight that is not measured in pounds, but in the people that they affect across generations, cultures and time.
Erin Lord: My favorite part about writing is just taking all of my ideas and getting them down on paper.
Kyleah Parr: The most random things inspire me to write, whether it be finishing my homework or meeting a published author. I enjoy reading and writing because you can leave your reality and go somewhere better than the real world.
Daiza Jones: I really love John Green and Anna Todd. The entire “After” series that Anna wrote are my favorite stories of all time.
Britney Marie McKenzie: I love to write fantasy or realistic fiction. I get inspired by the books I read by amazing authors and by the different events that have happened in my life.
Elisa Bucio: Writing makes me feel calm and takes me to another world that I have created.
Caroline Boland: The feeling of my works being noticed drives me. I feel like I’m floating when I write. Being able to express myself makes others happy, which in turn makes me feel wonderful.
Hannah Roberts: My personal experience inspires me to write.
Ashley Muniz: Other authors inspire me to write.
A Student: I enjoy writing because I like bringing worlds alive.