Monday, August 10, 2015

Why Do We Write by Linda S. Glaz



We each have a reason why we sit down behind a computer or in front of a typewriter or with a pen and legal pad (I’m sure there are other modes) and begin to write. We want to be rich, tell a family story, entertain someone, or what I see as possibly the most important reason: to expose and explore the human condition.
This last option has the opportunity to get folks talking.
Why would we want to do that? What purpose is there in getting people to open up about how they feel?
As humans, we often live in little bubbles. Without trying, we wall ourselves away from new ideas, new possibilities, and in doing that, we keep other people firmly in their bubbles as well.
Along comes the story: new ideas, new possibilities, new areas to discover. Hopefully it means we will open our eyes to the opportunity to walk in another man’s shoes. To see life through his mindset. To see what could happen when all of right scenarios come together at the right time. To discover the hearts of people we would never have come in contact with.
In other words, fiction. The safe place to explore all sorts of ideas and get folks talking.
Why would we want to get people talking?
Because when we talk, we reach out. When we reach out, we listen. And when we listen, we start to understand.
And understanding leads to…well…

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