Two weeks ago, we asked Red Roomers blog about the time they first wanted to become writers. We wanted to know if there was there a "flash" moment when they just knew, or has it always been true?

A few entries stood out:

• Member Lisa Jensen has always wanted to write, and her memories of how she's always blended verbal and visual art is fascinating. Read "The Write Stuff."
• It's not so much a moment for author Loren Rhoads but memories of the earliest stories she was told—Peter Pan among them, of course, but also a magical marionette show—that gave rise to her need to write. Read "The First Stories."
• The prospect of a prize of a loaf of bread won during first writing contest when in grade school marked the beginning of it all for author Linda Wisniewski. Read "Slice of a Writing Life."

Each of these bloggers will receive a copy of Eric A. Olsen's wonderful new book, We Wanted to Be Writers: Life, Love, and Literature at the Iowa Writers' Workshop. and his fellow Iowa workshoppers discuss what they learned and didn’t learn in the esteemed Workshop back in the mid-‘70s—and what they’ve gleaned in the decades since about life, art, the creative process, teaching, and the literary business. Observations from more than 30 graduates and faculty such as John Irving, Jane Smiley, and T. C. Boyle—some poignant, others humorous—make Olsen’s book a must-read for novice and seasoned writers alike.

Don't forget that if you're in Chicago on March 2nd, you can meet Eric at the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) panel, where he leads bestselling authors Jane Smiley, Sherry Kramer, Gordon Mennenga, and Doug Unger in a discussion of the creative process.

I hope you'll read all of the entries in this blog challenge, and comment on your favorites. All of Red Room's past blog challenge topics are here—thanks as always for blogging!

–Huntington W. Sharp, Senior Editor, Red Room