Why do you love to write…?

Someone once asked me that question… Now I need to be honest; it wasn’t a question I had ever considered before. Writing is simply something I have always done. Kind of like breathing, it’s just natural and automatic. But I think that’s a question every writer should ask themselves. Why do you love to write…? Why do you spend countless hours working on a scene that may never see the light of day or earn you a dime? What’s the reason for all your efforts? 

I have been telling stories since I was real young. I was a closet writer in high school, writing sci-fi short stories that were mostly set in the Star Wars universe. (Yeah- I was that cool) But I never showed them to anyone. Maybe it was a lack of confidence or the fact that I wasn’t very good in school and I was embarrassed by my poor grammar. Regardless, I have always loved telling stories.

You see, in high school I lived within the pages of stories. They weren’t words on a page to me, they were more than that. They were characters I loved.  They became close friends to me. You know? The ones you only know for a moment in life. You may never see them again, but the impact they leave is forever priceless.

I had desire to know who they were and what they were doing next. I wanted to know the conflicts that impacted their lives because I knew that it would impact mine as well. You see, to me there is nothing better (Outside of my times with God and Family of course) then cracking open a book, and getting lost. Because when you’re lost in the pages it feels safe, it feels right, and it feels free. So when I think about it I realize there are hundreds of reasons “Why I write.” But for the sake of time I picked only five.

I Love Stories:

As I said earlier, I love getting lost in the pages. I love seeing a world begin or end right in front of me. You see I have one goal when I write. I don’t want to write mere words on a page. I don’t want to pen a bunch of quotes that wow folks. The reason is simple. If people see the prose, then they see the words. Words distract, words show weakness, and words tell the story. My goal is pull the reader into a story where they see, feel, hear, taste, smell everything that is going on in story. I want them to ignore the words and never notice they are there. Because I believe, like me, others open a book to get lost in a story.

It’s a way to express my feelings and views:

Sometimes the only way we as writers can express our feelings is through what we type on the page. Within the lines we plant our pain, our love, our loss, and our thoughts. Some think that this is some lame attempt to manipulate a reader into agreeing with us. Some even accuse us of jumping on a soap box and preaching our worldview. Seriously, get over it. We write, we express, we move on.

I love getting lost in a world:

This goes along with number one in a sense, but it is much different. I remember the first time I ever read the Hobbit, the Lord of the Rings, visited Narnia or got lost and found in The Wheel of Time. Finding yourself lost in a world is one of the greatest gifts a writer can give a reader. Because for a fraction of time, you’ve left everything behind.

I love exploring the “what if…?”

Is there anything better than asking what if…? We’ve all done it. Heck, we do it in our lives. What if I had married this person? Or what if I had gone to school here? What if I hadn’t gotten fired or shot that guy…? Okay, maybe not that extensive but we’ve done it. It’s human nature. That’s one of the great things about writing, we get to take characters and ask those very questions.

I want to see people moved…   

I think one of the last reasons I enjoy writing is I get to see people moved. Think back to that book you’ve read recently, the one that touched you and made you want to turn back to the beginning and just start over. That’s what I want people to feel when I write. There are some books that just seem to have a special touch to them. No matter how many times you sweat over the pages they never seem to lose that magical touch. The words always feel as though they are fresh.

Now I could think of a thousand more reason why I enjoy writing, but in the end it all comes down to one thing. I simply love to tell stories.

I have to admit, I have never read Joseph Campbell “A Hero with a Thousand Faces.” I know, I know… As big of a Sci Fi & Fantasy fan as I am, I shamefully admit it. But I’ve heard stories about how Star Wars and other classic works have borrowed heavily from his ideas and concepts. So I guess it goes on my list of works to study.  A few weeks ago I came across this video on author Allan Baxter’s website. I love this, It explains the entire concept in just a span of a few minutes.