Writing from Life

Why am I writing? It's a fair question. It's taking a lot of time, effort, and energy, not to mention study, research, and practice. And I still have more to learn!! So why do it? What's so important to me about sharing the stories I create in my mind? Well, let me tell you.

To me one of the most amazing things about writing is taking where I am now - what I'm learning, what I'm struggling with, what I'm observing in life around me - and creating a world around it. I take some creative license but a lot of my ideas begin with things that happen to me or things I hear and I think "how would someone deal with that?".

Confession: I have a drawer full of ideas, snippets of paper with descriptions and random observations, photographs of places I would love to write about, lists of historical events that would make great settings. Who knows if I'll ever use everything I've holed away in that drawer. But it's there, a treasuretrove of years of observations.

I think I first started storing ideas after a trip through the airport. I love watching people and you certainly see all kinds of people in all kinds of situations whenever you travel!! I always have a notebook or notepad in my purse (just because you never know when inspiration will strike) and I can easily fill a dozen pages with a few hours at the airport. Frantic people, business professionals, tired parents and energetic kids, lone vacationers, angry travelers. It's a great resource for how people respond in different situations, how they carry themselves, how they dress and talk and act. Like I said, I love people watching. :)

And then there are the lessons I'm learning. Patience, relying on God, not being fearful or anxious, trusting God with my future and life, looking beyond myself and helping others in need. All these become part of my characters. As I learn and (hopefully) grow and change, so do my characters. Maybe not in the same ways or at the same rate I do but it's impossible to keep your real life and your fictional realm totally separate.

That's what I love about writing!! While it's difficult to bare my soul and face criticism and rejection for what I write, it's also comforting to know maybe I can encourage someone going through a hard time, struggling to see the end of a situation, just through writing what's on my heart. Fiction has the ability to entertain and teach at the same time. I love it!

So that's why taking this step, seeing where this leads, taking the time to write 70,000+ words is so important to me. My ultimate goal isn't to be a best selling, #1 on Amazon author. It's to write what I see, learn from what's around me, and prayerfully encourage others along the way.