Hi Dian and U, thank you for asking about the writing process. I don't know if a writer is born or made. I always thought that a person was born with a certain talent, but then, after reading "The Artist's Way" and "Vein of Gold" and "The Right to Write" by Julia Cameron I learned that anyone can develop a skill. First, let me say that I had an early desire to write, only I didn't know what I'd write about. Second, I heard time and again by teachers, "If you want to write, write about something you know about." Well, what I knew about was a childhood full of adversity. And I thought, "I can't write about that." In fact, I was a fully blocked writer, unable to come up with fiction. What I knew I could write was research, and I was one of those rare students who actually liked to do research and impart what I learned. Besides, research is safe: the writer is using another's material, without having to incorporate much original material. In college, I wrote a paper about my Italian cultural heritage (some of which is used in Beyond the Tears.) For example, I wrote about the game my uncles played called Bocci Ball, and the professor wrote in red ink, "What is your source of info?" She did that with every sentence that was of personal knowledge, including descriptions of food. When I discussed this with her (after discovering my new found assertiveness skills) she said she was not used to students incorporating personal, original material into papers. Instead of blocking me further, this actual helped me to realize I had something of interest to offer. Of course, she raised my grade after my explanation! I'm going to ponder your questions some more, and reply more extensively as the day progresses! Thank you so much for asking!