The Birth of a Writer

What was the defining moment you became a writer?

Even as a young boy, I read many books and had a wild imagination. My parents took me to the library, bought various books for me to consume and read to me before bed. Then in 1979, my father took me to a drive in theatre. The move I watched sparked a greater imagination that was unknown to me. That movie was Star Wars. Later it came out on HBO and watched it repeatedly. I watched that movie 193 times in my life.

From that time on, my imagination kept growing. I became fascinated with Superman, Indiana Jones and James Bond. I was a normal kid who played with Legos, Star Wars action figures and Matchbox cars. Later I became fascinated with Dungeons and Dragons and went on many quests with my friends.

In High School, I became engrossed in sports and Swimming consumed much of my free time. It was in the second semester of my senior year that my life changed. One of my good friends committed suicide. I was in my first class of the day, creative writing, when we heard the news over the intercom. It happened that morning before school when he took his life selfishly. I looked over at the empty desk to my right and realized that I would never see my friend Cory again.

That was the defining day I became a writer. From that day forward, my creative spark inside flared up. I wrote about my friend and many of the great times, we had together. I even did a story from his viewpoint explaining what was going on in his mind the seconds before his life ended. I also created many short story pieces that just sprang from within and poured out onto the paper.

Three years later (1993) I decided to write a novel and incorporate many of the pieces I wrote in that creative writing class. I wrote my first 300-page manuscript titled, The Toads of War in freehand (which I later typed into the computer.)

Then after selling Insurance and working as a Investment Advisor I became an Automotive Sales Professional. I spent several years selling at a Saturn retail facility. I learned about Customer Service and Needs-Based Selling.

Over the thirteen years as an Automotive Sales Professional and Automotive Sales Manager, I compiled the knowledge, techniques and principles I learned into three automotive training guidebooks and currently use these to train my sales professionals.

In 2002, I completed a 390 page Success and Motivational manuscript titled, Fuel the Furnace and created goals workbook to go with it.

In 2004, just before the birth of my third daughter, my latest creation sprung to life. I was reading my oldest daughter Enid Blyton's The Faraway Tree and The Wishing Chair books as bedtime stories. Inside something nagged at me. The writing voice inside told me that I should create some kind of children's story with a grand adventure-much like the ones I was reading to my daughter.

That is when the thoughts of kids, a teleportation watch, multiple planets and the search of magical items came to mind. I do not know how it all came together-it just did. Now, I have my first manuscript complete, my second manuscript in the works and rough outlines for the six remaining books in the series.

Thinking back, the moment I became a writer was that day I lost my friend. My friend inspired me to write. I will always remember our friendship and the gift he gave to me.

Thanks Cory!

To learn more about my fantasy/adventure series visit:

www.BaconFinnegan.com