Wednesday, January 28, 2009

"Why Do I Write?" by Luc2

So many of you shared your hearts during last week's Friday Fricassee. I enjoyed reading each one -- the pithy and the serious alike. It's a special kind of encouragement, methinks, that comes from this kind of soul-sharing among writers. I thank you all.

Luc2's contribution is beautifully written and captures so much truth about what it means to write. Without further ado, here is his comment from last Friday:

Why do I write? I write because I can raise armies to fight my demons, build castles to guard my secrets, and dig holes to bury my fears. I create characters to travel to the exotic places I can’t go by myself, to gather riches I’ll never have and to encounter other people and beings which I’ll never meet by myself.

With writing I unleash the dragon from within, to tame him, to fly on his back over the world, and sometimes to slay him. Over and over again.

I write to distance myself from my everyday troubles, but also to help solve them. I create a certain distance, yet stay close to myself. When I write, I solve problems that I can’t seem to solve in real life, stand up to people who I normally follow slavishly, and prevail in situations which I’ve always avoided outside the written world.

I write so I can recapture wonderful moments of my life, as well as create moments I wished I had. I write about the good and bad in life, but in a different setting and with different consequences. Or not.

I write about a chaotic battle, and thus create order in my head. I create a scene where a character is tormented by storm and rain, enjoying the roof over my head. I let my MC put his feet up before a fire in the hearth, brandy in hand, and I relax myself.

Why do I write? Because these words on paper or computer screens are incantations which provide their own little moments of magic. The words are spells to give me pleasure and contentment, wards against whatever bad is out there.

I write despite the frustrations and pains of the process, and also because of them. Without them I would never truly appreciate the thrill of a well-crafted scene, the satisfaction of unearthing a nice little character trait or the pride in a perfect sentence (until the next revision).

11 comments:

  1. This is so well stated, and echoes my own sentiments so closely (except replace dragons with Spartans). I've been so busy this last week, and I missed this the first time it was posted. Thanks so much for reposting. And thank you, Luc2, for giving me a little burst of excitement and energy to continue on with this difficult, wonderful task of writing my novel.

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  2. Wow, if that wouldn't inspire even the most reluctant among us, I don't know what could.

    Thanks so much for sharing, Luc2, and what a remarkable gift you have.

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  3. Wow, if that wouldn't inspire even the most reluctant among us, I don't know what could.

    Thanks so much for sharing, Luc2, and what a remarkable gift you have.

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  4. Sorry, I'm having technical difficulties.

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  5. Wow! I wish I could write that eloquently. Thanks Luc2 for writing my sentiments. And I didn't even have to lift a finger!

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  6. See Luc, we aren't alone! Still beautiful.
    Y'all should go read his blog. He's good.
    And modest.
    :)

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  7. Luc2- I'll be saving these words, and looking back on them when the sting of rejection makes me want to give up. Thank you for sharing this, so much.

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  8. Thanks, I'm blushing and grinning at the same time.

    My wife now suspects I have an internet romance.

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  9. Luc2, I just love this! Sometimes I wonder why I work so hard at writing and chase the elusive dream of being published, and this expressed so elegantly what writing does for the heart and the spirit. Thank you!

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  10. Your words brought tears to my eyes.

    My security word for this entry is "Gaiman". Funny.

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