Why I write

[Joseph]

There is a wonderful old blues song entitled,"What Did I Do To Be So Black And Blue?" The answer to that rhetorical question is,"Nothing."

The same answer applies to writers.What did we do to become a writer? "Nothing."
Writer's don't chose. They are chosen. If you are one of the lucky ones,you know what I mean. We cannot not write. Stories assault our senses and relief comes our way only after the stories have been told.
Half-Past Nowhere was written because I believe everyone's life is of interest.I also believe,like Cheever(Updike?), that the first 20 years are enough to keep a writer busy for years. There are just so many "firsts." There are a lot of those in Half-Past Nowhere.
Love Songs in Minor Keys was written as an answer to all those 'happily ever after" stories that have become so popular. Love is a lot more complicated than that.If you have lived long enough ,you are sure to have discovered that things don't always work out the way we expect. Sometimes that's good;sometimes it's not.
So I guess the answer to why I write is simply this..."I have to." any writer worth his salt knows exactly what I mean.

[Sharon]

Joseph, I think you're exactly right: I didn't ask to be a writer, but somehow I have always been one. If you read my post about why I wrote In The Eye of The Beholder A Novel of The Phantom of the Opera, you'll see that the last reason is because the story wouldn't stop nagging me until I put it on paper. :-)

[Author]

Joseph I agree with you. I had a story I had to get out. I don't what others opinion of my writing is but I know I wrote a powerful story. I needed to share it with others.

[Jcwillis53]

I don't think of it as a talent because I don't think I'm a "true writer". I'm a story teller...plain and simple and my family had a lot of stories to share with each other and "outsiders". By writing it all down I was able to keep it from getting lost and to leave a piece of my life and my story behind when I'm long gone and just a memory. Yes, it gave me a tremendous sense of pride and accomplishment when my first book was published. It is a learning experience and even though book #1 will always be special to me I am honest enough to know that book #2 is a lot better from the "telling it" side. I always add humor to every story and try and bring everyone a reason to continue to read the next page. Once I got started I couldn't seem to stop and the words just flew onto the page. I don't make it happen...it just does...so yes, I am blessed with a gift for gab!I think if you force it maybe it won't really be what you meant to say...what do you think?