Here's some housekeeping to get out of the way with regard to the Insecure Writer's Support Group.
Find the signup HERE.
The co-hosts for this month are Suzanne Furness, Tonja Drecker, Toi Thomas, Rachna Chhabria, Fundy Blue, and Donna Hole.
Someone recently asked me why I write. I had to think about it for a while, but I'm ready to share it with you as my first post for April. I suppose it touches on various insecurities, so here it is:
I think I write to be a character that I know I'm not in real life. It's a kind of escapism, if that makes any sense. I write to step into the shoes of someone strong, someone fantastic, and someone who's not afraid to explore things that scare me. And I write sometimes because I prefer the fiction to the reality.
Yeah, I guess there's plenty of insecurity in those words. Writers as a lot are such a mess. Wouldn't you agree?
We do write to escape and lead adventures we couldn't otherwise. I wouldn't want to be any of my characters, though.
ReplyDeleteHa, yeah, you aren't much like Jordan that's for sure. Which is good in a way. It bugs me when I get to the end of the book and find out the main character is pretty much exactly like the author. Could you imagine how boring all my books would be if they were about fat, bald, unemployed accountants? Right now I write for $$$ and that's pretty much it.
ReplyDeleteI think there's a bit of that in all of us. Often life sucks and we want to get away, not saying life is a bed of roses for my characters, but having the control is addictive!
ReplyDeleteWhen you writer you're a master of your own universe - anything can happen. I totally get the escapism thing; seriously, writing is extremely cathartic. That's why I do it! And also, because I simply must :)
ReplyDeleteYes, I would agree, as a matter of fact. Escapism is a big part of why I write what I write. There are some days I'd rather hang out in my imaginary world than deal with the real one, for sure.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think escapism is a strong pull for writers. Or it certainly is for me. I spent years daydreaming before i ever gave writing a chance
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I hear it said all the time that you should write what you know. I disagree; you should write what you can imagine.
ReplyDeleteThat summaries why I started writing exactly. These days I'm not sure why I'm still doing it, but I think escapism has a lot to do with it. :)
ReplyDeleteOh, we're all a complete mess. And this makes PERFECT sense. It's absolutely an escape… and we write these people that we totally long to be. I know I do. I know that I tap into those dark places in my mind that I wish were real, or create people I wish I really knew. We create worlds that make more sense than the one we live in. I loved this, Michael. Love your mind. You're such a cool person.
ReplyDeleteI agree about escapism and also for me I like to explore my ideas. I also think this is the same reason people love video games. You can escape into a different world and be someone awesome never having to worry about getting killed. Real life is hard why stay in it all the time?
ReplyDelete"...someone who's not afraid to explore things that scare me..."
ReplyDeleteThat's kind of a safe way to try it out first, don't you think? If you can get your head around it in writing it, then maybe later you might be able to work up to it.
I think writers are as much a mess as anyone else. We just spend more time working on our problems than others.
AMEN! This is exactly why I write too. It's also why I became a reader as a kid. Fictional worlds can be a terrifying place, but real life can be so much worse. I feel safe in a book because most of the time things work out in the end.
ReplyDeleteWhen I write, I get to reveal the parts of me I keep hidden from the world. Explore like you said, and become my own hero.
I can so relate. I feel like quitting the last few days. I usually get out of these funks, but I what if one time I don't?
ReplyDeleteYou know, I think I write for the same reason. It's a good one.
ReplyDeleteThose are good reasons why people would write. To add to your list, writing helps me make sense of the world. I don't know if I'd call the writer lot a mess, but I'd say many of us are complex individuals with a lot that that stews and stirs inside our hearts and minds. =)
ReplyDeleteI love the mixture of Science and Fiction.
ReplyDeleteI write as an escape too. There is this large part of me that just wishes I could be someone else sometimes.
ReplyDeleteHell yes, I'm a mess! Like you, I write to escape, I write to get into other people's heads and lives, I write to play God, I write 'cause it's fun, I write 'cause I want people to love my stories, and for a bunch of other reasons, all of them neurotic.
ReplyDeleteSay it loud and say it proud: I'm a writer and I'm a mess!
That's also why I drink. haha. I laugh, but it's also a sad truth. A lot of insecurity there, too. And a great many writers were/are alcoholics. I too am a mess! Might as well keep writing. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd while you're writing to escape, your readers are picking up your book for the same reason.
ReplyDeleteGotta agree with you, we are a mess!
Good, I know I'm not a mess alone then. I too write to escape :)
ReplyDeleteI often think that I write simply so I can live another (more interesting and exciting) life without any of the associated risks. Recently I wondered if actors don't feel the same way - by acting they get to (sort of) live other lives, too.
ReplyDelete