Question: You said that if you wouldn't have chosen to be a scientist, you would have been a writer. I want to be a writer too, I am fascinated about literature, so how do you think I should prepare myself in order to be able to actually write? And what are the things that inspire you to write?

Hi anda,
thanks for the question! I really like it 🙂
well, my first advise is with no doubts: read a lot! I think reading books, magazines, novels, poetries, everything! should be one of the priority of every writer. Reading fill my mind with possibilities, in style, but also in plots, characters, descriptions, and the more you know about them, the more you’ll be able to play with your characters, style, plot…
Moreover, if you really want to write, I think you should just do it. I try to do it even if it is not my job, because I just have so much fun, and this is the most important thing: you should have fun while writing, so write what you like! Write down things, situations, always carry around a notebook and write (or draw, it can be useful afterwards, when you want to describe an object or a landscape). Or at least this is what I do. Another important thing, connected to your question about inspiration, is: do interesting things! Do things you like, that you enjoy, not necessarily related to writing/reading, as for example, travel, sport, chatting with friends. I like to take inspiration from these things, from my everyday life, from a funny situation, or a discussion I had with someone. From that I start, sometimes just describing, sometimes I make up a complete invented story out of it. And when I do it, I do not say if it’s real or not. It does not matter: you are the writer, and you can create your own world!
My job is sometimes also part of my inspiration. For example, one of the last things I wrote is about marine bio luminescence, so little organisms in the sea that can emit light and form beautiful shapes in the sea, at night.
I found it amazing, and I wrote about their elegant movements and how they look like tiny galaxies of stars.
Noting to do with science, but I got the inspiration in my lab, since we were doing experiments with those little algi.
So enjoy writing, anda, and if you feel like sharing with others you can always start your personal blog, when you are ready to face the “feedbacks” you might receive.
You can also consider following literature studies at the University, I did not do it just because I think writing is my hobby, not my first job, but who know, maybe in the future…:-)