The roots of my writing

I have always been able to write my thoughts, but never really got any great feedback on my writing. Knowing that I needed more development, but not getting it from my teachers, I turned to books. I read anything that I could get my hands on. I came across a Russian writer named, Fyodor Doestoyesky. If you haven't taken the time to read his writings, I strongly suggest that you do. They are long stories but worth every moment. I learned the fundamentals of story writing but I also learned to become observant. Watch everything around you and quietly analyze it in your mind. I found myself beginning to understand people on a deeper level than just, "how do you do?" Shakespeare was another writer that taught me human behavior.

I know, this doesn't sound like it has anything to do with how I learned to write. permit me to elaborate in a little more depth. I learned to create characters by these two writers. I found myself thinking about how my character would think, dress, react in a situation, and speak. If they would be very literate, I had to understand grammar for their vocabulary. If they were a bum, they needed to speak in a broken language. I found myself researching my character's behavior and in turn, strengthening my writing.

I have tried to keep my reading diverse. So far, I have succeeded, but I still have a long way to go. Structure and format are my strengths in writing, but I want to develope all my skills with writing. You can learn on your own and go by your natural ability, but sooner or later you have to turn to someone to teach you.