Why Write?
The following is a bit of a self interview. It's an exercise from a book on writing I am reading. I found the questions thought-provoking and my answers were interesting, so I decided to be real and share them with you. I found the answers surprising, even to me. I learned a little bit about myself as I wrote down my answers to these questions. If you are considering a career in writing, then perhaps these questions will stir something up inside you, and be a launchpad for your own writing career.
Why do I want to write fiction?
I want to write fiction because I have stories to tell. These stories have meaning, some obvious, some more subtle. I want to create stories where I put my characters into a moral imperative and they must make a choice between good and bad. I think self-sacrifice is another theme I would like to convey to my readers. One of the greatest virtues is for a character to lay down his/her life for his/her friends.
Another aspect to my story telling is that I want people to see there are forces outside of ourselves that drive us, or lead us to act in certain ways. We are not just islands unto ourselves. What we do matters, and not to use the butterfly effect cliché, but these things affect the world around us. I think its also important to understand that even the smallest, seemingly most insignificant characters in the world can accomplish great things, and have huge impacts on the world. Like Frodo destroying the one ring, or the ewoks wrecking all the empire’s shit. These scenes are some of the best moments in storytelling for me.
Obviously, a major reason why I want to write fiction is to make a living, and a damned good one. I’m tired of working for other people, and I have decided that I want to earn my own way on my own terms, and not have a boss looking over my shoulder. My success will be determined by my skill as a writer, and possibly as a marketer as well.
What do I hope to get out of it?
Mainly the sense of accomplishment of finishing a book and seeing it published and sitting on the store shelf at my local Barnes & Noble, or even in the library. Hopefully there will be more than just one and they will sell lots of copies. I think I would enjoy traveling and going to book signings and meeting the people who read my books. Ya, sure, there is a bit of a narcissistic ego motivating me there, but what writer worth his salt doesn’t? We all think of ourselves as gods creating our own worlds and the people who inhabit them. Its part of the process of writing good science fiction and fantasy, the making up shit as you go along.
What do you want to do for your readers?
I want to transport my readers magically into other worlds that only exist in our imaginations. That is, after all, why we read sci-fi and fantasy, isn’t it? However, I want to do much more than that. I want my readers to care about the characters I create, I want them to feel like what they do is important, and that it matters. I also want to use my writing to reach out to the less fortunate people of society. The people dying of horrible terminal illnesses, the physically handicapped who feel looked down on and feel they have no place in society. I want to show the incarcerated men and women in this world they can turn their lives around, they aren’t stuck living a life of crime and living out their days in prison. They can learn a skill and make something of their lives, even from inside the prison walls if necessary. In life there is always elements that make you feel small, and that you don’t matter, but I want my readers to know that no matter what, they can have an impact on the world they live in.
Why do I read?
I read because I love good stories. I love watching characters transform from a lowly caterpillar and develop into a beautiful butterfly. Some of the best stories are the ones where characters seem to be worthless dregs of society, but when faced with the enormous pressure placed on them as the plot evolves, it brings out their true nature, and that can often be a major contrast to how we originally saw them. If there’s no transformation, then what’s the point? We are all shaped and molded by the events of our lives, aren’t we? Its what gives life meaning and purpose. I like to think we are more than just specks of dust floating around in a vast universe of nothingness, and that ultimately what we do matters. Obviously, reading is entertaining and fun. Much more so than television or movies. It relies on our own imaginations to visualize the story, and I think we do a far better job of it than Hollywood. No offense Mr. Lucas or Mr. Spielberg.
