I'm in the middle of writing an essay that pertains to this topic, so I thought I'd ask you fine people: what would you consider to be the largest defining moments in your lives up to this point? The ones that got you on the path you're now on, or played a large part in shaping who you are?

I'll start. Like so many of us Internet folks, the defining moment of my childhood was when I saw Star Wars for the first time. I was nine years old, Revenge of the Sith was just about to come out, and my parents decided the time had come, so they sat me down and, over the course of three days, showed me each of the Original Trilogy on VHS. I wish I could remember more about the experience, but I know that it was like nothing I had seen before. Within an entirely too short amount of time, Star Wars became my everything, and this remained the case approximately until I turned fourteen. I read every single one of the EU novels, I watched the films dozens of times, I played with the toys for countless hours. I also began watching fanfilms on YouTube, and my absolute favorite, when it premiered, was RVD2—that'll be important later. While I no longer have the same obsession with the universe—my realization of how bad the prequels are soured my images of the saga for a time, and as my literary tastes improved I realized that 90% of the EU wasn't worth my time—I still love the original films, and all six are such a part of me that I honestly have no idea what I would be like without them. They were what inspired my love of SF, a love that continues to this day, and really began my development as a nerd.

Fast forward a few years, to the moment at age thirteen when I first discovered, almost in tandem, the works of Ray Bradbury and Stephen King (the former with Fahrenheit 451, the latter with Under the Dome). I had always been a voracious reader, but these two authors were the ones that made me know, for the first time, that being a writer was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I began to look at the people who had influenced them, and the people they in their turn had influenced, and before long had expanded my library to the point that I had no more room for it (a problem that only increases with age). Before this point, I had read almost exclusively SF and fantasy—now, I began reading "literary" fiction as well, and expanding my SF/F horizons far beyond what my town's little public library had. I studied the authors' styles, tried to imitate them, and in the process found what my own could look like, though that is still an ongoing process. It's those two authors that set me on the path I'm on today, and I couldn't be more thankful to them.

Lastly, the first time I listened to Friends in Your Head was probably the most defining moment of my life in the last several years. I first encountered the podcast back in early 2010, after watching the commentary on the Lightsaber Choreography Competition and noticing that the guy from RVD2 was a member of the panel, which intrigued me enough that I checked out the show. And, as with STar Wars, I got way too obsessed way too fast. For the last four years, the show has been more than just friends in my head, it's been a teacher. I've learned more about writing and storytelling from this podcast than any class I've had, as well as a shitload of stuff about moviemaking that I never would otherwise have known. It's taught me how to think and how to be skeptical, made me loosen up and get a better sense of humor, and has led me to further resources that have proven invaluable. It also has given me friends in my head, and this forum, for which I am eternally grateful. Whenever times get tough, I always have a WAYDM to make me laugh and help me learn. I know for a fact that I would be an utterly different person had I not stumbled upon this show, and I'm so glad that I did. So, really, I'm like many of us here—Star Wars led me to fanfilms led me to FIYH. Pretty awesome, as far as I'm concerned.

So—how about you guys?

Last edited by Abbie (2013-11-17 06:51:52)