Why I Write?
People like to ask why I write. I've thought about it some and I don't have just one reason. Off the top of my head I would say I love telling stories. I like creating worlds and filling them with people and then attempting to ruin their lives. I know that sounds harsh. Some might say I need professional help... meh.
Another reason is sometimes when I'm reading I think to myself, How would I tell this story?
Now I'm not saying that I am better writing than the author whose book I am reading. I just have a different view on things in general. And yes I am aware that most people are like that.
So back to my previous statement about attempting to destroy my characters' lives. That, in essence, is what writing is all about. There has to be a conflict for people to get invested in the characters. Conflict is part of who we are as a race. Think about our entertainment, media and everything else. They center on conflict.
As a writer I'm the one that provides the conflict for my characters, so yeah I feel comfortable saying I attempt to ruin my characters' lives. That's where the story comes in. If I just gave you a description of the world and some of the people that lived in it you would ask, "Okay, so what happens?"
If my response was "Nothing," you'd probably want to smack me upside the head. That is if you cared enough to ask what's next.
I have to figure out what conflicts drive the story, what makes my characters respond. And I have to make sure it is believable in the context of the world I have created and with the characters as I have presented them. Nothing confuses people more than hidden motives for a character that they never really understand. I hate when I have to ask "Why did s/he do that?"
So that's my random ramble for the day.
Another reason is sometimes when I'm reading I think to myself, How would I tell this story?
Now I'm not saying that I am better writing than the author whose book I am reading. I just have a different view on things in general. And yes I am aware that most people are like that.
So back to my previous statement about attempting to destroy my characters' lives. That, in essence, is what writing is all about. There has to be a conflict for people to get invested in the characters. Conflict is part of who we are as a race. Think about our entertainment, media and everything else. They center on conflict.
As a writer I'm the one that provides the conflict for my characters, so yeah I feel comfortable saying I attempt to ruin my characters' lives. That's where the story comes in. If I just gave you a description of the world and some of the people that lived in it you would ask, "Okay, so what happens?"
If my response was "Nothing," you'd probably want to smack me upside the head. That is if you cared enough to ask what's next.
I have to figure out what conflicts drive the story, what makes my characters respond. And I have to make sure it is believable in the context of the world I have created and with the characters as I have presented them. Nothing confuses people more than hidden motives for a character that they never really understand. I hate when I have to ask "Why did s/he do that?"
So that's my random ramble for the day.
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