 Goodkind has dyslexia, which initially dissuaded him from any interest in writing.Before starting his career as a writer, Goodkind built cabinets and violins, and was a marine and wildlife artist, selling his paintings in galleries.In 1993, during the construction of his and Jeri's home on the forested Mount Desert Island, off the coast of Maine, he began to write his first novel, "Wizard's First Rule", and his writing career was launched with its publication in 1994.