Wilson James, the author: explained

I sometimes feel the need to explain myself, a bit, as a writer.  As in, why do I write?  Or, where did the ideas for my stories come from? 

Not easy questions to answer, really.  I suppose it was, initially, because I heard of some event, or tragedy, and I wished it had turned out differently.  In my mind, I wanted to change the way it turned out.  In real life, that cannot be done, of course.  But, in fiction, all things are possible.  As Paul Theroux says, “Fiction gives us a second chance that life denies us.” In my writing, I can create anything I want, and give it a happy ending, and mostly I do that.  Along the way, there may be tragedy, or hurtful events, but I try to create success and triumph in the end.

I started slow, with one story, and then two.  I’d get another started, only to find I had a new idea.  I’d try to get the next book started, and then continue the previous one.  Now, I find that I may have as many as four manuscripts on the go, and it’s a challenge to complete one to the end. 

But, in truth, I have found that I really enjoy writing.  When I write, I imagine that I’m in the scene, or watching the action, and I want to describe it as fully as I can.  What’s more, I can change the scene, or the dialogue, or the action, as much as I want.  Most importantly, I write for myself.  I write what I want to read.  I like Jesse Stuart's quote, “Write something to suit yourself and many people will like it; write something to suit everybody and scarcely anyone will care for it.”

So, I write, and I find it gives me a feeling of great satisfaction.  I also find that I am truly humbled that many, many thousands of copies of my books are in the hands of readers.  I am simply amazed and downright overwhelmed that people have taken the trouble to purchase or download my stories, through sites such as Smashwords, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, and others.   Honestly, although it has taken me some time to accept, I love the idea that I can share my stories with others, and I hope to continue doing exactly that.  In fact, I have two books nearing completion now, and I’ll advise further, on this blog, as they get ready for ready for release.

In the meantime, thanks for reading my books and this blog, and thanks for allowing me to share my works with you.

Wil