What Got me into Writing?

Where would I be today if I didn't write?  That question will be answered later.  I'm not sure exactly what got me into writing.  I remember my friend and I were talking during my senior year of college in 2009 about us writing a book about college.  I don't know how the conversation started.  I know that we wanted to write one based on our experiences.  We didn't want to write our experiences.  Instead, we wanted to make it a guide book on how to survive college.  We started doing this during the summer before I started graduate school.  We broke it up into chapters and then bullet points within each chapter.  After each bullet point, I wrote a paragraph explaining the bullet and my friend did the same.  I ended up writing a lot more than she did.  She was not happy because she only wrote a sentence or two for each.  She wanted it to be more of a quick guide book.  It would have only been 100 pages if we tried to publish it.  I explained that I was more reflective.  Needless to say, it didn't work out and we stopped.  I published my side of the story for me only.  I didn't edit it at all.  I typed what I wanted to type, and quickly published it for me.  I haven't read it in a very long time.  In fact, I don't think I even read the book in its hard copy format.  I should because it is probably written horribly.  Fast forward to April 2011.  While working at my job grading standardized tests, a title came into my head. (Yes, my mind was wandering while I should have been grading! Shhhhhhhh)  I immediately wrote it down and went with it.  I believe either while outlining or while writing The Teacher That Didn't Teach, the title for book two, The Teacher That Taught Too Much came to mind.  I believe even before then, I was writing down a list of don'ts for the grocery store while working at the self-checkouts.  Again, I was writing and thinking while working.  Oops!  I kept the list in my room for awhile, and then threw it out!  Don't ask me what I was thinking because obviously I wasn't.  I then started up another list of don'ts and held on to it.  I did it on receipt paper, oddly enough.  I know the list I originally had was a lot better than the list in my current book.  Oh well.  You live and you learn.  Now that I keep working on books, I find myself craving to come up with more ideas.  I can't explain it.  I always want to work on a new book.  I hope that doesn't come across as arrogant.  I'm not writing to be better than anyone.  I know I'm not the best writer and will be the first to admit it.  I never want to do two books at a time, though.  I already have a title for my 3rd book in "The Teacher That" series.  I wrote that down and a few small ideas that I have for the book.  I will work on that once the grocery store book is done.  I do know that I do not keep writing for fame and fortune.  I keep writing because it's what I love to do.  I love to challenge myself.  As I've said before, I love getting the finished product in my hands.  The sense of accomplishment is overwhelming!  If I haven't written two books at this point in my life, I have no idea where I would be.  Has my life changed drastically yet because I am a published author?  No.  Will it someday?  Who knows?  If I didn't publish two books, I wouldn't have this blog and I would probably have a lot more free time at night.  What would I be doing with that time?  No clue!  I can't think of anything else I'd rather do than keep writing books.  If nothing spectacular comes of me publishing books, who cares?  Not me!  No one can take away the fact that I wrote, edited, and published two books by myself.  I am so incredibly proud of that!  I have more to say on that last point in tomorrow's blog.  Stay tuned!