Goodreads asked M. Ocampo McIvor:

What’s the best thing about being a writer?

M. Ocampo McIvor Good question for me to reflect on.

I've resisted calling myself a writer for so long and for many reasons. Notice I didn't say I've resisted "writing." I write, no problem, but I've become used to writing in bullet points in reports and work emails. The rest of the time I write in emojis and in simplified, colloquial grammar, in lowercase, in chats, texts, etc.. Also, I'm a data person who's worked in tech throughout most of my career, and so, have very little patience. (Five minutes in tech is like 5 YEARS in the publishing world. Drives me crazy!) Writing takes patience. Lots of it.

Writing is boring. Writing is lonely, especially for a social creature like myself. You think too much and live inside your head a lot of the time when writing. Laughing by yourself can be sad and lonely, and writing can sometimes feel like that.

Writing fiction is hard for me.

But... words are beautiful. Words are powerful. And stories can teach you, inspire you, and carry you away to new worlds and enable you to experience new perspectives. Stories help us understand each other, expanding our minds while bringing us closer together. I want to contribute to the world in this way. Being read and inspiring someone else, maybe even impacting someone's life for the better... that to me is the best thing about being a writer. And it's well worth it.

flag