I penned a post in the thread: From A Reader… Dear Author Don’t Do asking for feedback as to why readers whine and complain about lack of good reads when they are so unwilling to move out of their comfort zone and seek a new book shelf to pull from. However I didn’t want to utilize that space to ask this question especially since it is directed primarily at authors (however everyone can participate and weigh in on the question from their own perspective).
After about a couple of hours of house work, I have since had some time to do my own self-reflection as to why do I write… What I learned from my reflection:
I learned that I thought I was writing because I loved to write and then later on to appease to a particular audience; but after some soul-searching and a few bad encounters with the general public (in real life and online) I found the underlying truth as to why I write. I write basically for the same reason many readers have expressed as to why they read: to escape from the reality of life for a few hours. I write about the kinds of people I would love to meet and interact with on a regular basis. People who maybe slightly confused but are not afraid of growth and learning new things from people who are not like them.
I write about wouldn’t it be great to meet a wonderful significant other who’s not a ‘gold-digging-gigolo-shallow-me-myself-and-I-intorlerable-mean-spirited-rude-selfish-impatient-judgmental-jerk-whorish’ person that isn’t afraid of my uniqueness as a person. I write about a world that I would love to live in where you can really find good people and neighbors who don’t spend their time bickering about two inches of land that you happened to have crossed as you were mowing your own grass. I write about people with birth defects, beautiful people falling in love with people who are slightly imperfect, maybe not too smart but have a heart as big as the moon and is everything they’ve ever wanted in another human being.
I write about people who learn to live in the world that they were born into making the best out of a less than ideal situation. I write about people who can find a small ray of happiness just by reaching out to others with no agenda just trying to pitch in and help a fellow human being. I write about people like me who are passionate about life and stays in the fight despite their knowing it’s a losing battle; but yet their spirit reminds them that “you are allowed to die but not to quit.” I write about the people when life is hard they cry themselves to sleep accepting the fact of waking up facing another day in hopes of a better future for tomorrow. Yup I write about utopian living and what if these people really existed in large masses what kind of world would we all be living. I know, I know I’ve been told more than a few times that I’m an idealist, a dreamer and not so conventional; but I can’t help it if I can imagine the world a better place and I write about those things hoping that when others discover my stories they too began to ask, “hmm what if?” I believe changing the world into a better place starts with a single idea of what if…
So why do you write? I sincerely look forward to hearing from you and why you write...