Bradbury was inspired to become a writer when he was 12, growing up in Waukeegan, Illinois. A traveling carnival came to town, and young Bradbury sat in the audience of "Mr. Electrico," doing stunts with an electric chair. "He pointed at me, touched me with his electric sword--my hair stood on end--and said, 'Live forever!' God, that's great advice!" The next day, he sought out Mr. Electrico at the carnival grounds. After first introducing the boy to all the carnies, "he took me down to the lake shore and talked his small philosophies and I talked my big ones. He said, 'We've met before. You were my best friend. You died in my arms in 1918, in France'--two years before I was born. "I knew something special had happened in my life. I stood by the carousel and wept. Within three weeks, I started writing short stories­-every day of my life for 65 years. I lie in bed at 7:00, leap out and write down the metaphors. By 10:00, I have a short story." But the imagination that coupled with said inspiration to form a great writer came from another source: Of course, great writers are made, not born. He credits the development of his imagination to his mother, who was sneaking him into movies at age three, where, by osmosis, he caught the creative virus. From Ray Bradbury's website http://www.raybradbury.com