Monday, September 26, 2016

Why....


“A person is a fool to become a writer. His only compensation is absolute freedom. He has no master except his own soul, and that, I am sure, is why he does it.” – Roald Dahl

There is no shortage of eloquent wisdom from some of our greatest scribes on why they write, and for whom. I've been asked it; I think every writer has. It can be as vexing as those damnable query letters: you just penned 100K wonderful words, but  how in God's name to sum it up nicely in just a few.

It's at once the hardest and easiest thing to answer, though I do very much like what Mr. Dahl had to say on the matter. I could cite 101 reasons if I could cite one. Increasingly, it's like being asked why I breathe. I write, because I am. And just maybe vice-versa. All I know is, when I'm writing I feel I'm doing what I'm meant to do, and when I'm not writing I so often feel I should be.

And that question of, for whom. Ask not, Ernest? Alas, I'm asking. The quick and easy is that we write for ourselves. I think that's almost always true to some degree. But whom, and what else? There have been a few who toil away with no intention of exposing their words to any eyes beyond their own, but most of us want to be read, heard, felt, understood. And if someone will pay to do it, better yet. 😉

Perhaps we write for the audiences of our chosen genre; if we want to sell books, we surely better. But that's author stuff, and yeah, most of us want to be published authors. I speak here of something a little more visceral--of that soul of a writer, that blood imperative that compels us beseeching to the page like so many wolves baying to the moon. That the world may hear us. Or at least some may. It is perhaps our message in a bottle, our Cryptograph of secret messages, heard uniquely by each soul, intended for millions or even just one. A brother; a friend; a kindred reader we'll never know. A sweet girl for whom your heart still beats.  Here I stand, these, my words, my truth. My story begins and ends with you. A hand outstretched.

Whatever your reasons, they are the right ones. As always, thank you.  Read on, and of course, write on.

Until next time~




Thursday, September 15, 2016

This Just In...

Just learned I got second place in a microfiction contest for this cool site. I like writing micro(or flash) fiction, and have not only written it but written about writing it. The story will be published on their blog and I get to be featured author for a month and plug David Rose. More info when I have it, but was pleased and grateful for this news.


Never Say Never: Challenging Some of our Sacred Literary "Rules"

Honored that ProBlogger has published another of my posts, this one on some of those sacred writing "rules" which can prove so vexing. I much enjoyed writing and researching this one, which included connecting with cartoonist R.E. Parrish and legendary linguist Stephen Pinker.

I hope you enjoy and as always, I welcome your feedback!