Alma Fullerton: Why a Writer?

The most common question that people ask me is: "When did you decide to become a writer?" I don't think there was ever a time I decided. Writing was just something I always did—always HAD to do.

When I was growing up, I wrote, read, and told stories to escape. It didn't matter if I was writing journal entries, essays, or short stories, as long as I was in the "zone," I didn't have to think about all the bad things going on in my life at the time. Writing through those bad times made it possible for me to be here today.

I'm in a much better place now, and I no longer have to write to escape, but that need still burrows in my mind. There are so many things I feel passionate about, and I need to write about them. If I don't, no one can write about them for me. Yes, there are other stories on the same subjects, but those stories don't express everything I need them to express. They don't fill my need to express my own thoughts, and sometimes those stories hold opinions that are totally the opposite of mine. Are they wrong? No, I don't believe so. They are just different.

Did it do me any good to read those stories and hear those opinions? Absolutely.

I believe before you can develop your own opinion on something, you have to learn all the different sides of that particular thing. If you only hear one side of the story, that's what you tend to believe to be true and it's hard to form your own opinion. Truth lies in educating yourself, and education leads to passion.

What are some of the things you're passionate about?

Alma Fullerton
Author of Walking on Glass