In the past, I’ve talked about what I write (words), how I write (I’m ambidextrous), and when I write (usually while I’m awake), but never about why. I remember how, in one of my writing groups, we would fantasize about our novels being made into movies and what we’d wear to the Academy Awards. Seriously, who doesn’t want to be loved, admired, and lauded by all? But it’s not the dream of fame or fortune that gets me up in the morning and glues my butt to the chair. Aside from my love for a good story and the joy I find in words, I have four basic reasons, which I’ve described below.
The last time I flew from Montreal to Florida, everyone on the plane was as pale as pastry and wearing coats and boots. When I landed in Miami, they were all in shorts and cabana shirts, and they all had tans. What happened to the coats and boots? Where was the pastry? When exactly did this transformation take place? Crazy, right? But wait. Two years later, my husband and I took a Caribbean cruise. As we were embarking, I noticed that every person over the age of two was wearing new white Nikes with navy blue laces. The shoes were obviously the archetypal footwear du jour, but what about me? Why wasn’t I informed? This conundrum led to my first published short story. Reason 1: I write to make sense of this crazy thing called life.
I once took an art class where we had to draw an upside-down vase. The purpose was to get us to see it in terms of its lines and shapes, not according to our preconceived notions of what a vase should look like. I learned two important things that day: one, if you look at something from a different angle, you get a different view; and two, always empty a vase before you turn it over. The point is, it’s all about perception, and sometimes nothing is as it seems. Reason 2: I write to find meaning.
I’ve heard writers say they write because they have to. I’ve never understood this. Does someone lock them in a room and threaten them with an ax? Wasn’t that a Stephen King novel? Sorry to disappoint, but I write out of choice, not because I have to. I’ve also heard it said that it’s the characters who run the show, not the writer, as if they have a will of their own. Call me an egomaniac, but I’m the one who creates their world. I’m the one who calls the shots, not a bunch of neurotic characters! If I can’t control them, how will I gain the order I crave? Reason 3: I like feeling in control.
I once read that every story is about love, whether it’s a romance or about the world at large. Stories remind us that we’re not alone, which brings me back to those Nikes and the crux of it all: How do I fit in? Reason 4: In a way, writing is my Nike. It’s my way of connecting. When all is said and done, we’re all in this together.
Thanks Elissa for visiting ToBeThode. Be sure to check out what I thought of Ellisa’s book (Sex, Lies & Hot Tubs).
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