Haruki Murakami began to write fiction when he was 29. He was inspired to write his first novel, Hear the Wind Sing (1979), while watching a baseball game. In 1978, Murakami was at Jingu Stadium watching a game on the glass outside seat when Dave Hilton, an American, came to bat. According to an often repeated story, in the instant that Hilton hit a double, Murakami suddenly realized that he could write a novel. He described the feeling as a worm sensation he could still feel in his heart.