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Why I Write
It’s not just because the voices tell me to
The most common question people ask me when they learn that I am a writer is not where I get my ideas, or if my characters are actually me, or what I think about the print vs. e-book issue. No, the most common question is “why?” As in “Why do you write?”
Though the question is common, it really comes (I believe) from several different mindsets. There are those who never read (sadly, a sizable percentage of our population, both now and historically) and thus cannot grasp why anyone would bother to write novels, short stories, poetry, or fiction of any kind. Then there are those who understand, correctly, that it is nearly impossible to make a living as a full-time writer and therefore wonder why that time at the keyboard isn’t spent instead at something that would be more financially beneficial…like mowing lawns or picking up aluminum cans on the side of the road. Finally, there are those who do read, don’t know or don’t care about the financial part of it, but do understand just how difficult writing can be, perhaps because they have tried it themselves.
The answer I often give is a flippant one (no shock to those who know me): I write because the voices tell me to. This usually creeps the questioner out enough that they simply move on, but in a funny way it’s true, for me at least. My characters do…
