Why Do You Write?

I have been asked recently why I am writing especially since I am retired and I am not building a career.  Here are my thoughts in answering that question.

I was standing in the Heritage Center in Dodge City, Kansas looking for clues about the life of my grandfather before he met my grandmother.  We had also been to Weatherford, Texas where he lived with his first wife.

I had been on a search to find information about my mysterious grandfather for several years.   Although I had easily been able to find information on my grandmother’s family, I had reached dead ends in my search for information about my grandfather.  The documents in the National Archives had been an exciting find and had provided clues I wanted to explore further. (See my blogs on my genealogical search)

But I found nothing.  I could not fill in the gaps in the intriguing family story that many friends and family had encouraged me to document.  Could I write the story as fiction using the facts I had uncovered and creatively fill in the missing pieces?  I lacked confidence that I could be creative and write fiction since my previous writing experience had been non-fiction.

After taking a couple fiction writing workshops which built my confidence, I decided to try writing a historical novel inspired by the lives of my grandparents.  It has now been almost five years since I visited the library in Dodge City.  As I reflect back, I discover how much I have enjoyed the experience.

I loved the research and learning the historical details of longhorn cattle drives from Texas to Dodge City. To my surprise, I have treasured my alone-time, writing and the opportunity to imagine the life of my grandfather in 1878 or my grandmother in 1911.  I am excited when the words flow and I have written a description that creates a vivid picture of a character or the surroundings.  Working out the plot brought days of frustration and then delight in resolving the arc of the story.  I thrill when someone tells me they like my writing style.  And there is nothing like the satisfaction and exhilaration of completing a final draft.

I not only needed to learn about writing fiction but as I have described in a previous blog, I needed to learn about building an “author’s platform”, the following of friends and colleagues interested in one’s writing.  Recognizing the importance of marketing and promotion, I reluctantly plunged more fully into social media.  I have increased my knowledge of publishing as I explored the options of self-publishing.  In fact, my forays into learning…learning to write fiction, book promotion on social media and choosing a publisher…have also brought new friends and colleagues into my life.  It turns out becoming a writer doesn’t have to be a totally lonely existence.

I’ve discovered that I write because I want to tell the story, because I found rewards in writing, because I found opportunities to learn new skills and knowledge and because I met new friends.