Goodreads asked Nicholas McIntire:

What’s the best thing about being a writer?

Nicholas McIntire This is a really tricky one to answer, because for me there are a lot of facets that make up "being a writer", and ranking them can be difficult. It changes with my mood and what's going on around me. Right now, I'd say creating characters and stories that resonate with people, taking them to a different world where they can be invested in someone else's triumphs and tribulations. My favorite novels growing up, and to this day, are the ones where I feel a real emotional connection to the characters, where I feel personally invested in their success. Or watching the fictitious people living in my head deal with the obstacles that are thrown at them, and potentially having a reader learn something about themselves in the process.

A close second, for me personally, would be possessing the ability to take all (or at least most) of the negativity, anger, aggression, frustration, and pain that life can throw at you and having a place to transform that darkness into something positive, something that hopefully feels real and important to the readers engaging with the characters and the story. It can almost be like therapy for me, because it gives me a place to put the things I do or do not enjoy about real life and hopefully craft something positive from all that lovely chaos.

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