But before I get started, I must go train some laundry...*Cues elevator music...*
Alrighty then. One load in the dryer, one load in the washer. Ah, the glamorous life of a writer. I will indulge in more glamour later this morning, when I dust, mop and vacuum. Perhaps if I put on my tiara and my pink feather boa...
But I digress.
Why I like to write...That's easy. The first reason is because it's the only way to make the voices in my head shut up. No, not voices telling me to walk naked down the middle of my street or something equally foolish. Not voices inciting me to mayhem. Nope, these would be the voices of the characters who've taken up permanent residence in my skull, and who keep telling me their stories, insisting I write them down.
Writing, for me, is an escape. I'm in charge of the world I'm creating, I'm in charge of how people react to certain stimuli, I'm in charge of shaping characters into people I'd really like to meet in real life, I'm in charge of ensuring there's a happy ending for all involved. In short, I'm in charge and in control of that which I'm not in charge of, nor in control of, in Real Life.
Sometimes, what's in my head, clamoring to spill onto...er...the computer...is better than what's on television. If there's nothing to watch, I can entertain myself.
I get to play with words. I've said it before and I'll say it again...Words are the writer's colors with which they paint a picture. The subtle nuance of a particular word choice can make a sentence scream with vivacity or yawn with boredom...can convey sweet emotion, or not so sweet emotion...It's all up to me to paint with words the scene/picture I want the reader to see. If that isn't heady, I don't know what is. It can be a joyful experience, as well as frustrating, funny, heartbreaking, irritating, and breathtaking, too.
I get to play on the internet and look up fun stuff and call it "research." Remember when that used to be a hassle? Now I get to do it not because I HAVE to, but because I WANT to - makes all the difference in the world.
The power of the written word can inspire, uplift, bring joy, cause laughter or tears, evoke melancholy or wicked joy. It can persuade, argue, present, confirm, disprove, rebut, incite, teach, inform, charm, disarm, annoy or titillate. Awesome is the power of the written word. Awesome is the power of a good story that captures readers in its spell.
Awesome.
It's why I write.
Why do YOU write?
Writing became such a process of discovery that I couldn't wait to get to work in the morning: I wanted to know what I was going to say.
~Sharon O'Brien~
