* His love for children: Carroll was a devoted tutor and loved to entertain children. His stories, particularly "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking-Glass," were born out of his desire to create imaginative worlds for his young charges.
* His fascination with language: Carroll was a brilliant mathematician and logician, but he also had a keen interest in language and its playful possibilities. He enjoyed wordplay, puns, and nonsensical rhymes, which he incorporated into his writing.
* His own childhood memories: Some scholars believe that Carroll's childhood experiences, including his own imaginative games and his love for storytelling, influenced his writing.
* His desire to challenge conventional thought: Carroll was known for his rebellious spirit and his desire to subvert traditional norms. His writing, with its absurdist humor and illogical scenarios, can be seen as a critique of Victorian society and its rigid structures.
While we can't know for certain what inspired Carroll to start writing, it's likely that it was a combination of these factors, and perhaps others that we may never know about.
It's important to note that Carroll also wrote serious works like "Symbolic Logic" and "Euclid and His Modern Rivals." His writing was as diverse as his interests, and his legacy continues to inspire readers and writers alike.