Thank you, Neil.

Prompt:
Write a short memoir that has to do with reading or writing – the moment you discovered you could read or write your name, for example, or the class where you practiced making letters, or the person who inspired you to write. Is there the kernel of a story here?

When I look back at my life so far to understand why I want to write, the impact of books on myself is undeniable. In my childhood, my dad worked as a bookseller. He brought books home regularly, and I read a lot. The most relevant one probably was Mort by Terry Pratchett. I picked it up in seventh or eight grade and it was the first english book I read of my own accord. And even though it was way above my reading level, I kept at it, with a dictionary at hand. But I never thought about starting to write myself. I associated it with doing homework and didn't want to do any more of it.

Around the time I started to read Mort, I also really got into computer games. Gradually, I picked up fewer books for myself. But the number of books we covered in school increased and I tried to read them all. This probably was a mistake, because I didn't like any of them. The worst one we covered was The Wall by Marlen Haushofer. I started reading it multiple times and each time I abandoned it with a feeling akin to physical pain. Looking back at my time in school, this book is the single worst memory I have. Unsurprisingly, for the years to come, the joy I felt for when holding a book turned into aversion. While at University, I stopped reading almost completely.

When my time at university came to an end, an identity crisis hit me. I had spent the last years dreaming of many things I wanted to do in my life, but had worked on none of them. I was miserable, and drowned my sorrows in constant distraction, video games and, at times, excessive weed consumption. The end of my bachelor's degree dragged itself out, and I hated the few remaining courses I attended. I wasn't there anymore because I was interested in them, but to finish the degree. Because I didn't see the point in doing this I seriously considered dropping out a few months before graduating.

To make the time I spent playing computer games feel less like a waste, I started to listen to podcasts alongside. One of the podcasts I discovered was the Tim Ferriss Show. On his show, Tim talks a lot about books. Slowly, this brought back my interest in reading.
One book Tim recommended multiple times was The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Even though I had been (and still am) a big fan of Terry Pratchett, I hadn't read anything he wrote. So, a few weeks later, I picked up the Graveyard Book. I finished it in less than two days.

Reading the Graveyard Book I remembered the bliss of entering another world. I love imagining them, following the characters living there around, and making up my own stories set in those places. That's why the Witcher III is one of my favourite video games. The Graveyard Book reminded me that books work even better to stimulate my imagination. But reading this book in a time where I didn't know what I wanted to do in life did more than that. It awakened the desire to turn this daydreaming into something more. It is the reason I want to write.

Of course I have still more ideas than I could ever explore. But since I have read this book, the idea that I'm coming back to the most is writing. So, thank you, Neil.