John Howard

I'd like to tell you that I always knew I wanted to write, to tell you that I just had to write from the moment I could pick up a pencil or some other dramatic lie. The truth is, I hated English until I was about fifteen. I don't mean I sort of disliked it, I don't mean I'd wash it down with a glass of water and a grimace, I full on abhorred anything to do with written language for the first fourteen years of my life. Strangely, the only reason I crawled out of that dark time in my life is because of a video game. Or, at least, the rough concept of a video game born from the minds of a some bored pre-teens.A couple of friends of mine approached me with the prospect of creating this game, and of course being as naive as I was I agreed and assumed we were all destined for greatness. Unfortunately, it was discovered that I had zero marketable skills. Literally nothing. I couldn't code to save my life, had no idea what went into crafting music, and my voice acting abilities were borderline horrific. I felt resigned to being moral support, when finally one of my friends suggested I write the script. I thought back to my years of animosity toward writing, to my failed grammar tests and two sentence paragraphs, and shrugged. I'd figure it out. It never amounted to more than three pages of what was essentially a screen play (and not a good one), but it did ignite an interest.At first, it was small. Nothing, just an inkling. But it grew. I started thinking up other stories, began working on a separate novel and suddenly began enjoying research papers. My grades started to rise and then it hit me: I had finally found my thing. I couldn't sing, was never good at the violin, couldn't throw a ball, flinched when one was thrown at me, couldn't dance, hated competitions and was almost physically unable to handle public speaking. But I could write. I decided back then that this was what I was good at, the one thing I could hold on to and be proud of, and I've never looked back. It just hit me that this is supposed to be a biography, not a "why I write" essay, but honestly what else is there to tell? I am a writer. That's all there is to me. I wish I had known that earlier in life, wish I had never dreamed another dream, but now that I've found it I'm not letting go. I hope I'm able demonstrate that passion here on Odyssey, and that I can offer a unique perspective. Cheers.