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| Teach Me How to Fly by fhrankee on deviantART |
I know, I know. We're supposed to write for ourselves. And I do. But it's more complicated than that, isn't it? I mean, as artists, we're all supposed to create art for the sake of art, not caring who sees it. For me, there's a lot more to it.
I write because I believe stories are important. I write because I believe books can change lives. I write because I think my stories and my books are important. Maybe they won't change lives, but maybe they'll let someone escape for a few hours, to live in a place of beauty for a moment.
I write for all the girls like me who curled up with books instead of boys, dreaming of first kisses. I write for my little sister, who has yet to find a boy who lives up to the heros in her books. I write for everyone who longs for adventure in their everyday lives.
And I write for me. Because I love my stories and I love my characters. And you know what? I want other people to love them too.
Who do you write (or create whatever kind of art you create) for? When you type out your book dedication or Academy Award acceptance speech, who will you say inspired you? Pushed you to create?
I write for the teenager in me, and in everyone else. When I decided to write YA, it was after reading a particular YA book which made me feel things (or remember feelings) I hadn't felt since I was a teenager - feelings I'd forgotten about without realizing it. And it was amazing! Who doesn't want to re-live the feeling of falling in love for the first time? And then, I remembered other things, like how passionate I'd been about my writing before all the responsibilites of being an adult and needing a steady paycheck pushed all of that to the side.
ReplyDeleteNow that I've found that lost part of myself, I don't ever want to lose it again. And if I can inspire that same re-discovery in someone else, well that would just make my day :)
Oh, and I LOVE that pic btw :)
DeleteI love your paragraph about writing for those who curled up with a books instead of boys...I was buried in books for years, so maybe that's a big reason for my writing!
ReplyDeleteI write because I have a compulsion to do so. The stories invade me and become part of me and insist on being captured...
But your reason to write something that will please someone else and help them escape is one...and A.K's reason about re-living and re-discovering is another, you always hope you'll create a thing of beauty that others wish to share!
what a wonderful post. I write because i love to do it and for that person who wants to curl up and enjoy a good read.
ReplyDeleteAw, what a sweet post!
ReplyDeleteI think I write for myself, for the reader me ... I love being curled up with a book and falling in love with a fictional hero (even though I LOVE my hubby lol) and believing we can do anything, overcome anything ... I guess I just want to reproduce those feeling and share them with others ;)
Love this post, Jenny.
ReplyDeleteJudy Blume once said, she writes not because she wants to, but because she has to.
I write for my characters, so their stories will live in other hearts. Also, it helps the voices in my head go away...for a while anyway. ;)