[Rilarien884]

I know that by reading Tolkien I was inspired to write better and put more thought into what I was putting on paper. Instead of just the normal blah-blah-blah of some stories and books, Tolkien created a world with history and depth. There is so much more beyond the actual story! It is an inspiration for aspiring writing because it goes past the normal mold of what we perceive writing to be.

I personally never read fantasy before I picked up Tolkien, and, I admit, the only reason I did pick it up was because of the first movie. I was stuck in the mode of Michael Critchon and John Grisham, who write some pretty darn good stuff if you're into it, but they dont "create" like Tolkien did.

Anyway, after my utter ramblings...I hope this kind of answers your questions...

AL