Why I Do What I Do

Ever since I was young, all I have ever done is discover new places and events just waiting to be experienced. I would also tell others about what I saw, heard, and felt. Before really meaning to I turned everything into a fantastical adventure. I’ve always had a wild imagination and it’s a lot of fun to explore. Many people have told me that it would get me nowhere when in fact it has gotten me everywhere. I’ve seen and experienced more than they or I could have ever dreamed of.

All I ever wanted to do was entertain but I didn’t know how to do that. There wasn’t a lot of opportunities where I came from to do that. I’ve tried different things but nothing really worked for me. Then I learned how to read and write (yes, it’s a life-long learning pursuit). These two things have stuck with me my whole life no matter what I did and in hobbies I immersed myself in. Letting my imagination go and putting words together just became natural. I became fascinated with finding new words and making them into that one beautiful sentence. These beautiful sentences became amazing stories. Where a painter will paint a picture, a photographer would capture a picture, I discovered that styles of writing will tell you a picture of what is going on. Not only did I find it fun but I found my passion. Passion is definitely something you need in order to be a writer.

However, writing means nothing unless you have the experience behind it. If all you do is imagine and know nothing about what you’re writing about then your story becomes less magical, less real. It’s important for readers to believe it and get a sense of wonder when they read a story. I want to do that with every story that I create. That’s why I am always eager to try new things even if they were way out in left field. It’s a lot of fun to push the boundaries and step out of your comfort zone even if its only for a short time.

It's also a great way to step into someone else’s shoes. That’s how I create a character. I think of someone, find what motivates them, their hopes, dreams, and everything that makes them who they are in that moment. It really helps to see how unique and different a person can be. How each person fits into the world, and how they affect others. It’s a really interesting subject and you learn a bit about human nature. So my advice when creating a character is take a day and get some projects going on that your character would do. It doesn’t have to be anything drastic like a career change but you want to explore your character’s life and what they experience.

It takes a lot of love to truly make a good story. You have to put everything into it. Mind, body, soul, and add on some time. But the reward is not just a sense of accomplishment but the fact that you put a bit of yourself out into the world that can never be taken away. It’s like putting a record of events and you hope that future generations will read that and say, “Oh! That’s what happened then.” When you write, you never have to worry about leaving something behind because when you tell a story you have done so. You have it all.

Money and prestige does not matter. Both of these things are very fleeting. To me, it’s about knowing that I touched someone’s mind and heart with my words. I hope to inspire people to take a chance, try something new, or believe in magic again. This is what gives me hope for the great world we live in.