Monday, April 8, 2013

Why do you write? by Linda S. Glaz



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...

4 comments:

Jennifer Major said...

Why do I write? Because the story needs to live. It needs a place to be born into the world and fulfill its purpose. I write about The Long Walk, because I am compelled. I NEED to tell their stories. And as far as I know, NO ONE ELSE in the CBA has or is doing so. No one has said "what was done was wrong, I cannot change it, but I can shine the love of Jesus down into that moment in time and claim a bit of it for Him". I can take some of what was and shape it into what could have been. I can bring attention to a culture that got slammed so hard it could have died away without the strength of its people rising up and taking it back, and taking it home.

Yup, I'm somewhat passionate...

Linda Glaz said...

I can tell! That's what the way it should be. Passionate? If you're from MI you are passionate tonight.
I forgot to say above:'GO BLUE!

Andrew said...

It's a good question, and one whose answer changes like the direction of the wind!

The overriding reason is that I enjoy telling stories with a purpose. The setting and genre really don't matter - what's important is crafting the story as an entertaining vessel for the message it carries.

The odd thing is that I usually don;t know what the message was until the story's done.

Linda Glaz said...

I agree, Andrew. Sometimes a theme is just placed in your heart and you write. When you're done, you have come to learn the purpose of the message. Well said, Andrew.