I’m feeling philosophical today. Perhaps it is because of the new year.
Perhaps it is because I have indigestion from eating a rare cheeseburger wrap
instead of a medium.
Right now, at this very moment, I am under the tightest deadline of my
career. What do I want to do? Write a blog post. Shoot me.
So what am I feeling philosophical about? Writing, of course.
You’ve all heard it said that writing is a lonely business. It is. The
fact I’m sitting in my favorite burger joint alone is proof of that. I’ve also
had to decline a family invitation from my sister because of the aforementioned
writing deadline. Truly, it is FIVE-ALARM writing until January 20th.
(Update: I did meet my deadline but forgot to post this blog!)
So why do we do it?
Personal reward
I’m sure any artistic person will tell you that creating is one of the
most gratifying experiences out there. I imagine most inventors will tell that
to you as well. I’m no wuss when it comes to judging myself. I know when I’ve
written something average, something good and something great. The averages are
far and few between anymore; the goods are becoming easier and the greats are
within reach.
Autonomy
I love controlling my life. Writing was always a hazy dream for me –
something I wanted to do but no real ability, plan or purpose. One winter my
husband had to spend an extended period of time away with his family so I broke
out a pad and pencil, set up at my desktop computer - Dr. Pepper at hand - and
started typing. LOL. The story was a sweeping saga, ala Kathleen Woodiwiss,
except with a crappy plot, weak characters and an implausible finish. It will
not see the light of day.
It isn’t possible for me to write full time yet. Think health
insurance. However, I do see the distant light in the tunnel. I will be able to
someday. The other thing that makes this possible is that so many tens of
thousands of writers no longer have to wait for approval from a New York house.
Isn’t that awesome? I love that I can put a good book together, have an artist bring
my vision to life on a cover and publish it overnight. To have this much
control makes me so happy.
My characters speak to me
Hard to explain this one. All of my main characters want to say
something to me, and for sure, say something about me.
Imogene, my hard luck London orphan, is a study in perseverance and
nerve. Nothing gets her down.
Dr. Keefe Pearson, my world famous archaeologist, is the woman I’d be if
I were rich, beautiful and intelligent. Plus, I have always dreamed of
archeology and discovery. It gives me a thrill to think about unearthing the
Terracotta Army. Or sunken treasure ships.
This probably doesn’t describe every author, maybe just this one, but I
don’t want to write emotions and thoughts that are impossible to believe. Yes,
I may put them in odd situations but the genuineness must speak to me with a
loud voice.
Will I die if I don’t write? No.
I’ve heard writers say they would
die if they didn’t. I’m not so cursed. As long as I find joy in what I’m doing,
I’ll keep doing it. I might even do it longer than that if I have readers
continue to say they like my writing, laugh at my characters and cry once in a
while. I suspect this is a lifetime vocation, though.
But if one day you hear I’m no longer writing, you'll find me on the water,
looking for treasure. The moral of this story: Dream and DREAM BIG! And the other moral of the story is order prime rib next time.
1 comment:
I totally agree with your point of view. AS long as you enjoy what you're doing you'll do it. Forcing yourself to do something means you don't really like it.
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