"It was unavoidable, my writing. I feel I had no choice in the matter, no more than I had about an unfortunate bone structure and a healthy head of hair." ~Maureen Howard
A year and a half ago, one of my first posts on this blog was about what made me start writing, and like most writers in the early stages (she says, wondering what stage she must technically be in by now -- the slightly-further-along-than-early-stage?), I was excited, had HUGE plans for myself and my first MS, and was convinced that I had an awesomely awesome idea that was just going to blow agents right out of the water.
And now... it's been close to two years. That first MS has been shelved to be used as inspiration when I need to be reminded how far I've come (as stated in last week's post); and I've presently written another book, plus started two more. But I didn't mention what I've written because it matters for this post, really -- I've brought it up to share how much work I've put into writing in less than two years because I know there are tons of writers out there who trod along in these writing waters and either
1) Get frustrated by the way things work in the industry (queries, submissions, rejections for example) and feel like quitting
or
2) Just happen to feel somewhat alone in their love of writing and need to feel a bit of camaraderie.
So this week's posts are going to be short and sweet -- but they're going to focus on YOU -- all of you writers out there. Because, ultimately, we write for ourselves. We write for the thrill of it, for the sadness of it, for the satisfaction of saying what we need to say. We write because it's what we love to do.
Q for you -- What made you start writing? Was it a story that popped into your head one day? Or something that gradually morphed into an idea? I'd love to hear about it!
5 comments:
I had wanted to write for a long time, but I never had the right story to tell. I have a notebook full of outlines and ideas for things that weren't right for me. Then two years ago, I had the "aha" moment when the first spark for my story came to me. I've been working on it ever since. Hopefully it will be finished this year.
I can't remember a time when I didn't have stories floating around in my head. Writing is just a way to let them out.
I've written different things for different reasons. Sometimes it's been a means of escape in difficult times, and sometimes it's been the opposite - a journey of self-discovery and personal development. I wrote on and off for 25 years before I was eventually published, but publication is the icing on the cake. I think with an industry that's so hard to break into, writing is, and must be, to a large extent, its own reward.
My husband told me one day that I had a great imagination, and for some reason, I suddenly felt like I was wasting it.
He suggested I start writing something down, just for fun, even if it didn't lead anywhere. A few months later, I had my first book.
This is a GREAT idea BTW :)
Thank you so much for the prompt! It was a good one! I answered the question in my blog today: Why Do You Write?
p.s. love your blog!
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