>loved creative writing when i was a kid
>stopped doing it and didn't pick it up again until college
>realized i learned to hate writing because the only time writing was brought up was so we could maximize our scores for the standardized tests

I talked to other people and they felt the same way. They usually didn't allot much time so the essays we wrote were more speed writing exercises. We would get our papers back 2-4 weeks later with a number on it and no feedback.

Remedial classes in my private school brought me from possibly being held back early on to being top percentile in reading comorehension in standardized testing and also helped me enjoy it more. That and my folks buying me whatever books i wanted.

In my case public school would have failed me because i have "learning disabilities" and also local public schools are among the worst in the country.

But i think most important overall factor was my dad being an "intellectual" who understands the importance of the best possible education and instilled a desire to learn.

I also believe reading throughout made me more empathetic.