LostInReality
11-23-2009, 10:40 PM
Why do I write? Yes, the idea of making money (tons of it hopefully;)) is very appealing, and who wouldn't want to get paid big bucks for letting his/her imagination run completely unchecked? But, this is not the reason...or at least it isn't the main one. And, yes, it would be beyond cool to walk into my local bookstore and see something I wrote sitting on the shelves. But, this isn't it either.
The reason that I write is both simple and disturbing at the same time. I write because the characters in my head will not leave me alone. They come from out of nowhere. Some from dreams...others from a song I heard on the ride home from work...others still from the people I meet in passing during the course of my day. No matter how they get there, they dig in and will not release me.
Then comes the torment. They spin tails in my head day and night...making pictures of scenes that are just begging to be written down. The more I resist their mysterious pull, the more insistent they become until finally I give in and drag myself to the keyboard. Many times, this happens in the dead of night when I am most bleary-eyed and want nothing more than the refuge of sleep.
And then, when they finally get me to the point that I need to see their exploits down on paper, they abandon me. Teases all of them. They got what they wanted from me and then leave, thumbing their noses at me as if to say "You're here. Now do something, and don't expect our help!"
But, this is not the real agony. That comes later. When the final chapter has been written and your hero and/or heroine have done all that they were supposed to have done, the real torture begins.
Querying. You're sending your baby out to every and anyone that you think might be interested. You wait....and wait....and wait some more until you're desperately wondering why they don't reply right away. How can they not love your characters just as much as you have?
It is now, while you are stuck in the purgatory that is Query Hell, you realize that this is exactly what your characters wanted in the first place. This is the reason that they stalked you so ruthlessly and why they are laughing now that you are in the same position that you yourself had put them through.
They want you to experience the wait that they had to endure while you himmed and hawed over whether they were worthy of your efforts or not. They are vindictive and spiteful...but this is why you love them still.
And, even while you are waiting for the elusive YES, they are pushing you forward, begging you to write more....and more....and more.
It's really enough to make a person insane!! Who was it who said that some people hear voices are called crazy and put in a room where they can talk to the walls all day. Others lock themselves in a room all day where they talk the walls and they are called writers....
Need I say more?
The reason that I write is both simple and disturbing at the same time. I write because the characters in my head will not leave me alone. They come from out of nowhere. Some from dreams...others from a song I heard on the ride home from work...others still from the people I meet in passing during the course of my day. No matter how they get there, they dig in and will not release me.
Then comes the torment. They spin tails in my head day and night...making pictures of scenes that are just begging to be written down. The more I resist their mysterious pull, the more insistent they become until finally I give in and drag myself to the keyboard. Many times, this happens in the dead of night when I am most bleary-eyed and want nothing more than the refuge of sleep.
And then, when they finally get me to the point that I need to see their exploits down on paper, they abandon me. Teases all of them. They got what they wanted from me and then leave, thumbing their noses at me as if to say "You're here. Now do something, and don't expect our help!"
But, this is not the real agony. That comes later. When the final chapter has been written and your hero and/or heroine have done all that they were supposed to have done, the real torture begins.
Querying. You're sending your baby out to every and anyone that you think might be interested. You wait....and wait....and wait some more until you're desperately wondering why they don't reply right away. How can they not love your characters just as much as you have?
It is now, while you are stuck in the purgatory that is Query Hell, you realize that this is exactly what your characters wanted in the first place. This is the reason that they stalked you so ruthlessly and why they are laughing now that you are in the same position that you yourself had put them through.
They want you to experience the wait that they had to endure while you himmed and hawed over whether they were worthy of your efforts or not. They are vindictive and spiteful...but this is why you love them still.
And, even while you are waiting for the elusive YES, they are pushing you forward, begging you to write more....and more....and more.
It's really enough to make a person insane!! Who was it who said that some people hear voices are called crazy and put in a room where they can talk to the walls all day. Others lock themselves in a room all day where they talk the walls and they are called writers....
Need I say more?