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. Here are some things I would be happy to achieve:
- If my stories help young people, by giving examples of kids persevering in difficult situations, then I will be very satisfied.
- If my stories help young people overcome their own challenges, and perhaps find some inspiration, then I will be happy.
- If my stories help young people find the tenacity and courage to succeed in their own lives, then I will be very pleased.
- If my stories help achieve some better understanding among friends and families, then I will consider myself fulfilled.
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.”
If even one person (young or not-so-young) finds some example in one of my books that he or she can use in their own life, then I will consider that every moment I spent writing those books was the best possible way to spend that time.
Thanks for reading,
Wil
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