Why I Write

A few years ago, I picked up a collection of essays edited by Will Blythe entitled Why I Write: Thoughts on the Craft of Fiction. In it, writers such as Rick Bass, Elizabeth Gilbert and about two dozen other writers I had never heard of shared their ideas on writing. I found the first few essays fascinating, but after a while grew tired of reading about what motivates other writers. I found myself asking the question: Why do I write? What do I hope to get out of this? Fame? Fortune? Notoriety?

At the end of the day, I realized that while it would be nice to be recognized as the next Ernest Hemingway, or to have as much money as J.K. Rowling, I have more modest and realistic goals. I write simply because I truly enjoy the creative process and the art of story telling. I think that Stephen King, in his book On Writing did a masterful job describing how fiction allows an author to create characters, breathe life into those character, and then watch them interact as the story unfolds. That is what I strive for - to create characters that tell a story. I don't have a particular genre that I like to write in. Perhaps I just haven't found it. I don't have a hidden agenda, though many of my stories do have an underlying theme. I have come to terms with the fact that nothing I write is perfect, and therefore would likely be subject to criticism. I welcome that. At my age, I can't allow the fear of rejection or criticism to keep me from moving forward. I am reminded of Grand, a character in Albert Camus's feel-good novel The Plague who spends years painstakingly crafting the first line of his novel, with the anticipaction that the would-be publisher would read it and exclaim, "Hats off!" While such acclaim would be nice, I don't have the years left in me.

So here goes nothing. If anyone has any tips about writing or publishing or blogging or how to make the perfect cheeseburger, let me know.

Thanks!