FAME!
FORTUNE!
FUN!
What are you seeking when you sit down to write?
Do you write because you have to like you have to breathe? Because you long for
the day when a printed book arrives in the mail with your name on it?
(I know, that sounds awesome...)
There's no right or wrong, no good or bad, but what prompts you to sit
behind a computer, sometimes for hours and hours pounding away at the keys?
I've been told by a few wonderful folks it's to promote God's kingdom and
then I read a few of the stories. OUCH! They promoted everything but...
And that's okay, just say you're writing to write. Or to make money, or
to have people see your name in print. Whatever drives you.
A couple years ago when I was fairly new to inspirational novels, I reviewed
one by a "Christian" author. I hoped she might be slightly outside the box,
as I love edgy fiction, but edgy in my world, and edgy in hers...hmmm.
Big difference.
My world of edgy doesn't include enough "private" scenes to make a porn
star happy. YIKES! And it did. Needless to say, I didn't finish that particular
review.
What I'm trying perhaps not all that well to say is, just because something
has a particular label doesn't make it so.
Believe me, I learned the hard way, red face and all.
I'm rambling here a bit, so I'm gonna sign off, but think about it...why do
you write? And are you able to admit to yourself, to others, to your readers,
why you began in the first place? And why you keep going...
Linda,
ReplyDeleteFirst, I hope all is better now with your husband. Secondly, I still struggle with why I write. I doubt I will ever be famous. ( I KNOW I won't)But I love writing what's in my heart--inspirational or not and hoping I can make some sort of difference with my words. I think if we can touch someone--somehow--then we've done what we should with words--my own opinion--but so far that's why I write.
Great question to ask, Linda!
ReplyDeleteI have to make sure every time I sit down to write that my focus is on what God wants me to write. I don't have the gospel message in my books, but I hope they show the 8-12 year-old age group that faith and God is to be a part of their everyday life--all while giving them a fun, interesting mystery to help the characters solve!
Thanks for the post! Blessings to you!
Very good question, and one I still don't have a firm answer to. I write because...it's fun? Because I 'see' scenes in my head that make me smile? Because I love banter and watching what a character is going to do next...
ReplyDeleteDon't know exactly. All of the above. And because my faith is intrinsic to me, it's always there, tightly woven. Yes, I want there to be a good message but "entertain first!" as they say.
Good thought-provoker.
Mainly I write because the words build up in me until I let them escape into stories, poems, and inspirational essays.
ReplyDeleteRecently, I've seen the lack of strong wholesome children's books. I feel driven to provide something worthwhile for them to read. Good literature will help build future generations.
I write because it's comforting and exciting to me! But pursuing publication is different. I do that because having a career, making money (even if only a little) off doing what I love, seems practical to me. *grin*
ReplyDeleteLinda, I am giving you The Tell Me About Yourself Blog Award!
ReplyDeleteYou can read all about it in my post on Thursday, November 17. Don’t worry, if you don’t have time to participate, that’s A-OK with me, but if you’d like to participate, here are the rules:
Thank the person who awarded you, blog about it, list seven things about yourself, and list 15 other blogs you would like to pass the award on to.
Blessings!