When I write, my dad tends to ask me, “Why would you torture yourself like that?”
To which I either laugh, shake my head, and say, “You won’t get it,” or try to explain that writing is NOT torture and that I love it with every inch of my being.
I gotta say that a big reason that I find writing so… awesome is that I’ve always enjoyed reading. For as long as I can remember I’ve loved stories of adventure, where the good guys finally defeat the bad guys. It started out with a boy named Henry and his big (and slobbery) dog named Mudge figuring out their little everyday problems. The it graduated to a girl named Mandie and her friends solving mysteries and stopping criminals. From there it launched to a boy named Shasta defeating a conquering prince, to a boy named Janner struggling to keep his siblings safe, to a hobbit named Frodo taking a vacation to a volcano to throw a random hunk of metal into the center and watch it melt (bonus: he saved the world, too). All of those characters took me by the hand and led me into worlds of kings and queens, toothy cows, and folks who say cool words like “peopleses”. And as I grew I realized that I wanted to make a world of my own, bring some people in to torture with quests and death and failure, and let other kids be drawn into my stories.
Side effect: I get drawn into it too (and occasionally stalk random people to find out how they act and how I can apply that to my characters).
I love getting sucked into my worlds and entering the minds and hearts of my characters – feeling their pain, laughing at their remarks, watching them grow. It’s almost like having kids! Except I’m inside these kids’ heads. And I can control what they do. And I tend to enjoy throwing random obstacles like imprisonment and hatred in their way. Hrm. Maybe not very much like kids after all. XD
There are things I’d love to do that I’ll never be able to in this world, but with a blank page, I can do anything I want – fly, fight, save the world, you name it. I can even drink coffee in a book (though why would I want to?! That stuff is evil)!
Another reason I love writing is because when I dive into my world I’m copying my Father in heaven. I created a world, just as he did. I wove a story for it, beginning to end, just as he did. I mold people and love them with a passion, just as he does. I’m emulating the Perfect One (although my own fumbling creations are far from perfect), and that makes me so happy. 🙂
Besides creating stories for others, escaping into my world, and following in my Father’s footsteps, I enjoy writing because I’m good at it. Not the best, but I’m working on that. 😉 I don’t have a lot of talents: I’m clumsy and awkward, crack terrible jokes, and sunburn WAY too easily. *crosses eyes and stares at brilliant red nose* But I was gifted with the ability to write – and enjoy it.
Trust me: there are people out there with the ability to write, they just hate it.
There are some not-so-great side effects to being a writer, though. Let me give you a short list:
You are seen as weird (by more people than your dad)
You sometimes get so engrossed you talk to your characters. Out loud. With other people in the room. (AKA: you get a lot of weird looks, which isn’t that bad once you find out how to laugh at them. XD)
You need a lot more brain juice (so go find a vending machine for brain juice).
You get caught staring off into space trying to figure out how to fill this plot hole or navigate this character’s arc.
You are separated into different worlds – for me, that’s the normal world and my fantasy world. It gets tiring remembering which is which sometimes (especially when you run out of brain juice).
You have a harder time staying focused on conversations without letting your mind drift into your story world.
Basically, that’s why I like being a writer, despite the unfortunate side effects. I also don’t mind weird looks, so if you do, maybe consider a different career. 😉
Aside from the corny jokes and choppy writing (my brain is soooo dead right now, haha), here’s what you should get out of this post: in the words of Shannon Messenger, “Writing is a weird job. :)”
God bless – keep writing!
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