In 1987, Ebert’s words of encouragement made a strong impression on me, a brainy fat kid who felt less comfortable in his skin than in the darkness of a movie theater. I didn’t grow up to be a movie critic (or a journalist or an actor). But in that year, I began to feel more confident in myself as a writer. I found my voice, and in time, felt less awkward in my body.The letter Roger Ebert send a teenage boy who aspired to be a film critic. Also see Ebert’s advice on writing and life and how Alfred Hitchcock had similar impact on a boy’s life.