Have. To. Write!

I love reading. I love stories. I love being absorbed into another world where there is action, mystery, or history and a decent dose of romance. And for now, for the most part, I seek these intoxicating places where I can trust not having to be completely devastated by the ending.

This is the same reason why I write. I love going to another place; a place I can make safe, or I can make dangerous, but it doesn’t permanently break me. I can create settings and just vacation in them awhile. I can create characters I would love to really meet, or villains I would rather not.

I tried to give up writing several times, thinking that shouldn’t be part of my roles. It was devastating. I got no more done than before, and I was incredibly miserable.

Though I didn’t appreciate it at the time, these were important experiences. Writing is ethereal, writing is exhilarating, writing is soul wrenching and writing is exasperating beyond belief. One of my author friends shared advice she heard another author impart. It goes something like this. “What advice would you give about writing?” Author’s answer, “Don’t. Unless you have to.”

I already know the answer to that. Yes, I could give it up if I absolutely had to, but as close to ‘having’ to do something as there is, I have to write.

So those of you who have approached me about your own writing (or will approach me J) that is the most important thing to know. Are you willing to appreciate the crazy parts? The unexpected tears, the juggling of family, the writer’s block, the endless hours of editing, the major rewrites, the deleting of thousands of words, the rejection, the publicity, the criticism, the worry that someone will read your work and feel jipped?

If so, HOORAY! And let’s celebrate! Let’s write! Let’s learn more about ourselves! Let’s push past our fears! Let’s trod the vast and incredible social media world and trust that others will understand our motivation to create friendships! Let’s figure out those things we thought we could never do! Let’s add light and hope and beauty into others’ lives!

In the topsy turvy life of a writer, I am so grateful to all my tried and true friends, my new friends, my acquaintances with the potential to be friends, and those in my future I am excited to meet! I have had such fantastic support, thank you, Thank you, THANK YOU!!