Do you ever get asked by someone after they've heard you're a creative writing major, "Why do you write?" I have been asked this question by almost everyone that has heard I want to write novels for a living. Although let's be real, I don't think I'm the next JK Rowling, so I'll settle for English teacher by day and novelist by night.
When I tell those people I want to be an English teacher in order to support my dreams of being a writer, they ask why again. I delve into a story about how my high school English teacher was the first teacher to fully open my mind to creative writing with his class assignments. I didn't know then that I wanted to be a writer, but I'm glad I know now!
I write to escape from the world I live in. One of my characters lives in a mansion, but her parents want her to know the value of hard work, so while in school or sports she has to work. Her parents are famous producers, one for music and one for movies. Everyone wants to escape their lives at one point. I started writing that book because it was what I needed to read at that time. I hadn't found a book like that in so long.
I write to become someone I'm not. That same character I was just talking about has a heart condition like mine, but hers was in worse shape. After she had life-saving surgery, she was able to play sports. She became the best player on her basketball team. I used to be good at basketball, but now I'm just horrendous. My brother just laughs at me. I wanted to play sports so badly before I was diagnosed with my heart condition, but my family couldn't afford it, so I cast aside the idea. I remember feeling like I was robbed of an opportunity though. I hated the fact that I would never be able to play the sports I took an interest in. I always told myself I was going to be the first female baseball player on a team of all guys.
I write to see things from a different perspective. The book character I was talking about? I started writing the story from both her side and her boyfriend's point of view. I wanted to see how both of them felt when certain things happened to them, whether it was as a couple or as individuals. I've also written down a sort of pros and cons list at some point when trying to figure out if something is worth doing for those characters. I'll even try to use that tactic in my head before starting a blow-up argument with someone. Unless I'm fuming mad, it almost always works.
I write to explore myself. This is the million dollar answer. When I'm thinking really hard about something, I'll write poetry or a journal entry that no one will ever see. I can be honest - brutally honest because I'm discussing something with myself. Writing is my outlet. It's the only way I know how to cope. I would write letters to my mom after she passed away; I did the same thing five years prior when my grandma passed away. When my grandpa passed away, I wrote a chapter in my book and a poem to go along with it.
Writing is the only way I can express myself without being obvious, and that is why I write.
