Why I Write

Because, I can!

Seriously, that's not the only reason I write. And, while there are many different reasons I write, some of them are for deep and philosophical reasons. I have a creative mind and I have to let it stretch its legs and run once in a while.

I wrote my first novel, The Shadow People, back in the early 2000s. It still hasn't seen the light of day, but I promise, I will publish it in the near future. I had such a wonderful time writing that story. It was during a time after I had just started work at a new company. I spent my lunch hour reading in a nearby Barnes & Noble. One day, I forgot to bring the book I had been reading, so I decided to pick one up off the shelf. At the time, I was a big fan of Stephen King. I found his book, On Writing, and sat down with it. I ended up buying the book before leaving the store. Stephen King made the process of writing sound like a wondrous escape from reality. Getting lost in the worlds of your imagination appealed to me at that time for reasons I can't explain. Although, if I had to guess, I would say that deep down, my subconscious knew something was amiss in my marital life before I did; my ex-wife and I were still married at the time.

As I read On Writing, a story idea began to develop in my mind. I ran with it, thinking about it as I commuted between my job and home. Shortly after finishing reading the book, I decided to sit down and write the story using King's advice. I tried committing myself to a thousand words a day, which is easier said than done, especially for a beginning writer who hasn't the discipline to follow through. There were days where I didn't write anything. But, I vowed to make them up the next time I sat down to write. And, for the most part, I did! There was one day in particular where I had five days to account for. I managed to write just over five thousand words.

Sometimes, those days of writing were a painful, grueling slog when the ideas were hard to come by. Other days, were sheer delight as the story played out in my mind like a movie and the words flowed easily. I managed to write the story. I believe it was somewhere in the neighborhood of ninety-thousand words. Then, my marital life ran aground. I put the story aside. I didn't revisit it until a year later. I found it to be atrocious when I first re-read it. So, I rewrote it. And, I rewrote it a third time.

Like I said, it hasn't seen the light of day. But, it will. Since then, I've written numerous short stories and a couple of books, some of them still in various stages of the writing/editing process. I enjoy the sensation of escaping reality to spend time in worlds I create. I enjoy the experience of walking in my characters' shoes. In addition to writing the story, I have discovered that I love the whole process of creating a book from cover to cover. Having complete creative control is invigorating. But, there's nothing like hearing the readers' reactions!

Not many writers, especially independent writers, get to enjoy this. I feel lucky, though. Most of my colleagues are also readers who have read my books. When they discuss the story with me, I'm on cloud nine. I love hearing their reactions to what I've written. Even if they don't quite like some aspect of a story, it's great to hear their feedback. Most of all, I like their differing opinions about my stories. I would say that this is the main reason I write! As long as I can keep conjuring new worlds with characters to fill them and spin an entertaining yarn, I'll continue to write. I write for the readers. The readers are my friends. I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into why I write. Thanks for stopping by.