I have wanted to be an author since third grade, when I discovered my love for reading. Sanderson has inspired me even more to pursue that goal, even though some other people I know think that it is pointless. Just by reading his books I have become a better writer, and his lectures on YouTube and Writing Excuses have helped a lot as well.
He has made me look at life in a whole new way. When I read now, I think about how the author is putting the book together, and I can spot so many holes in them now. I used to daydream about being a Demigod, or a witch, or a caretaker of a magical reserve, but now, I seriously think, would I actually be able to handle it? But I'd never know until I actually experienced it. (Also, the Inkheart trilogy really nugged me in thinking that way as well. They are all really good books).
I am way way way way obsessed with three things:
The Cosmere
The fantasy genre in general
Writing
Sanderson is solely responsible for the first, obviously. (But the one who introduced me to his books was @LionTale_Writer). And he is very largely responsible for three. My third grade teacher is responsible for two.
I also have a lot more friends now! I am very socially awkward, and have trouble finding people who actually want to get to know me. But through this site, I have gained a lot more friends. The truth of it is, I have more friends on here than I do from school or stuff. Then there's fictional characters...
You can never feel unloved or excluded or ignored in a book. You always have friends, and a place. Readers are never alone. And Sanderson's characters are just so complex, and real, with real feelings, and reactions, it's hard to feel alone. My Leadership teacher actually called the counselor the other day because I wasn't really taking much in class, or anything like that. I prefer places of fiction to the real world, and the Cosmere is always right there, waiting for me with open arms.
I tend to daydream a lot...
I'm also an insane Sanderfan now, and I have been since the day I finished tWoK. I still have the receipt from when I purchased my first copy from one of the three B&N in Salt Lake City. I started reading it about mid-April.
And now, here I am.