Conversation so far:
Where was Updike born?
Updike was born in Reading, Pennsylvania.
Did Updike stay in Pennsylvania his entire life?
the nearby small town of Shillington.
The family later moved to the unincorporated village of Plowville.
Where did Updike go to college?
received a full scholarship to Harvard College.
Did Updike do any activities at college?
Updike had already received recognition for his writing as a teenager by winning a Scholastic Art & Writing Award.
Did his upbringing affect his novels?
Upon graduation, Updike attended the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art at the University of Oxford with the ambition of becoming a cartoonist.
What was his first job as a cartoonist?
CANNOTANSWER.
What did his parents do?
His mother's attempts to become a published writer impressed the young Updike.

Question: How did Updike start writing?
Self-contained rewrite: How did John Updike start writing?