Why I Write
I wrote what follows six years ago, and though I cringed a bit when rediscovering it this morning, I guess the sentiment remains true. I still have a bit of that fire burning inside me despite work and bills and all the other nonsense of life getting in the way. I hope I can channel it onto the page more often in the coming years:
When most people die, their stories die with them.
I want to leave something behind for whoever is interested.
I write to explore things I'm interested in, things I want others to think about as well. I create characters that embody certain ideas or philosophies, certain problems or contexts and let things run their course.
I don't write a lot, but what I do write takes a very long time to get right because it involves a lot of research on one hand and craftsmanship on the other. To get right might be the wrong term; it's almost impossible to achieve.
I'm not the type of writer that will churn out a novel every year. I have no interest in following some generic formula nor sacrificing any artistic intentions for commercial viability.
If you ever pick up one of my books, you'll be holding something I dedicated years of my life to. Bend the page corners, fill it with marginalia, tear the cover to prop up a wonky table or use as a roach; give it to a homeless person, a friend, a charity, a stranger; burn it, sell it, shred it for compost, use it on a paper mache project, but first of all, please, give it a read then let me know what you think. I hope it's worthy of your time.
I want to leave something behind for whoever is interested.
I write to explore things I'm interested in, things I want others to think about as well. I create characters that embody certain ideas or philosophies, certain problems or contexts and let things run their course.
I don't write a lot, but what I do write takes a very long time to get right because it involves a lot of research on one hand and craftsmanship on the other. To get right might be the wrong term; it's almost impossible to achieve.
I'm not the type of writer that will churn out a novel every year. I have no interest in following some generic formula nor sacrificing any artistic intentions for commercial viability.
If you ever pick up one of my books, you'll be holding something I dedicated years of my life to. Bend the page corners, fill it with marginalia, tear the cover to prop up a wonky table or use as a roach; give it to a homeless person, a friend, a charity, a stranger; burn it, sell it, shred it for compost, use it on a paper mache project, but first of all, please, give it a read then let me know what you think. I hope it's worthy of your time.
I wonder if this resonates with other writers. I think I've softened on the "I have no interest in following some generic formula..." paragraph. It seems a bit pretentious. You can practice craft without sacrificing artistic integrity.