I've been an avid reader all my life. Copies of Larry Niven's early woks, loaned by my brother, got me into hard, logical SF. Much later, I read Tolkien's masterpiece and I then became a big fan of fantasy. I also really enjoy Fritz Lieber and George Zelazny. Frederik Pohl's recently became my most-treasured prizes. I am currently reading McCarthy's "The Road"... interesting and good but I'm not sure how to classify it.
When I was in grade school, I actually wrote two novellas (Naive to the extreme). I wrote short stories and poetry in secondary school.... then wrote nothing else for a few decades.
I started my first real novel in Calgary around 1980... in long-hand. Later, after returning to Ontario, I once more got hold of a computer. The problem with word processing programs is: you can erase months' of work with a couple of clicks (I've done that). Plus, I'm a horrible typist and proofreader.
In 2008, I got started and was finished with the first draft 1 1/2 years laqter.