Like many others, Al Stewart wrote his first story as a school assignment, but it was not until he first bought a book, as a child, to read on a long journey that he knew he wanted to be a writer. He tried to copy several styles but then decided that he would just be himself. Some of his stories come from personal experience, but others are merely plucked from his imagination. He draws upon his own English boyhood for much of his inspiration. He believes that every child who sits daydreaming in school has the makings of a true author and should be encouraged.