My Writing Story @Solsticepublish, @Solsticeshadows

A good friend and author is compiling a blog piece about why people write and I gave my 2 cents worth.  Then I thought about it last night and realized I had much more to say so I thought I would share it with you.  I have had a lot of challenges in my life.  To say I’ve had more or less than someone else is not for me to judge.  From my perspective, however, there were a lot of hurdles to overcome.  It was difficult to cope with these problems especially as a teenager.  One gift I had been blessed with was the ability to tell and write stories.  The worse the situation became, the more I retreated into my mind and created my own fantasy tales.  Soon one of them began to grow and grow.  The short story became a long one and that became a novel.  It became so long that I had to separate it into 2 novels.  Here’s the place where I differ from so many different writers I talk to.  I never intended the novel to be published.  So why did I white it?  As I said, it took my mind off my problems as I worked on it.  When I would feel down I would read part of it and think, “This is something I created.  No one else could have done this the same way I did.”  Then I would feel really good about myself.  After probably a dozen rewrites and about 25 years my mother came to me.  She was my greatest supporter and used to sneak chapters of my book to her friends to read.  I didn’t realize it at the time but her cancer had returned and this would be the last time I would see her alive.  My mind starts to wonder what I would have said if I had known.  Anyway, she told me my work was great and that I had to promise her I would have it published so others could share in my storytelling.  I resisted at first.  Getting published is no easy thing.  But my mother was one hard woman to say no to.  I agreed and she was very happy.  We lost her soon after.  I knew I had a promise to keep and so I found an agent and set her to work finding me a publisher.  The whole process took 3 years but I now have 2 books published with a 3rd on the way.  Now I look at the reviews on my books and even the negative ones usually have something good to say.  Then I think, “I’ve written something that touched someone else’s life.”  That’s pretty cool.  So if you ask why I write, the answer is twofold.  It started out as something I did totally for selfish reasons of feeling better about myself.  Then it evolved into something I do for others as well so I can influence them.  I am a member of an elite fraternity in which a single voice can talk to the masses.  Does it get cooler than that?