When I was a child, I never met an author, so couldn't imagine being one. Instead I went to college and learned about
computers. When my children were little I got interested in books for kids. I took a correspondence course and eventually sold my first story
to a magazine in 1992. I still like computers, but I like writing more!
I do most of my writing using a computer. If I'm not working at home, I take my laptop and work in a library, bookstore or coffee
shop. My favorite way is to meet with other writers and we all work on our own separate projects. Writing can be lonely and meeting with other
writers not only 
makes it less lonely, but also can be helpful. My writing friends and I motivate each other
and discuss problems in our stories.
Also I do a lot of pre-writing—just thinking about a story—when I lay in bed at night, driving or riding in a car, waiting in a doctor's office, etc. When I was a child, I told myself stories to go to sleep—and never would have told anyone that! I thought it was weird. Now, I know I was just exercising my imagination!
