Characterizing myself as a writer

When I write I try to us my imagination as much as possible. I want to try and make sense out of whatever I am going to write, because if I don't understand it then I probably can't write it to where other people could. I like to go to the quietest place possible, so that I am not distracted. Probably my favorite place to study is at home at the kitchen table. A good cup of coffee never always helps to get things going.
Before I start writing I get together all of the tools I am going to need to write. I might need some reference books, or notes that I have wrote. I like to make an outline about what I am going to write. It helps me to stay on track if I have some guidelines to follow. Also an outline helps me to remember all of the main points, so I don't forget any information that I may want the reader to know.
Usually when I write I start off fairly good. I usually know what I am trying to say. Most of the time I lose my train of thought before I can finish everything. My mind sort of takes off in its own direction, so I take a break, and try to come up with something fresh to write.
Growing up I wrote a lot of short stories. Most of the stories that I wrote were fiction. They were based on some wild figure I had just thought up. I also like to write about the future, and what it might be like. I like to create crazy plots to try and keep the reader on edge, or always wondering what is going to happen next. When I was a child my mother made me keep a journal. I would write about what happened during the course of the day. In my journal I would also draw pictures about what I was writing about. As I got older, keeping a journal sort of got in the way of other things I was trying to do, so I stopped writing. I wish I would have kept up with it, because I know there is a lot of things I don’t remember that I wish I could.
Something that really frustrates me about writing is that sometimes I find it impossible to put my thoughts into words, and then transfer that onto a piece of paper. I also get frustrated when I think of something really good to write, and then forget it before I can get it down on paper. For the most part though writing is pretty fun, and I enjoy it.