About Writing - Why I write
As I’ve done research on the craft, I have come across numerous articles about the technical end of it, but rarely have I found something pertaining to the writer’s mentality. The only exception I’ve found is when talking about why you want to write. Because why someone picks up a craft is one of the most important things about actually doing said craft.
To give an example, let me explain why I choose to write. I made a promise to myself to put a story out in the world. Didn’t have to be good, didn’t have to be popular, just to have it out there and have someone enjoy it. Sounds pretty basic, a little dreamy, but it’s what pushed me through a lot of my creative endeavors. I would elaborate and go deep into my own backstory, but I realize that it really covers only “I drew, I role played” rinse and repeat. Therefore, I will spare you the details and just get to the actual reason.
I write because I wanted to add something to the world, didn’t matter if it was something important, just something. I had tried doing traditional and digital art (event went to college for it) but I was never satisfied with my skills and it left me with a bruised ego for years. The one thing I always took pride in was the characters and stories I had for my art projects and table top (and online) role-playing.
Coming up with the characters and stories was really my favorite part of everything, but the result (art wise) would always disappoint me. I wanted to SHOW something, but the visuals I presented felt subpar. Because of the showing mentality, writing never came up as an option when I was younger. Writing came up as an option someone had suggested to me in college (after a really fun D&D session) and the idea stuck in the back of my mind and festered. After college I didn’t really have much in the way of roleplaying anymore, my art was depressing me, and suddenly the whole idea of writing sprang back in my head like a little kid who played hide and go seek and hid for years because no one looked for him. This led to research!
The more research I did, the more it felt like the perfect way for me to do what I always wanted to do, get a story out in the world. One major problem I had… well my wife put it best when she read my first paragraph I ever wrote for a story, “You write like a second grader”. Now bear in mind, I come from an artistic background, so I’m able to handle criticism very well. Normally I would just brush it aside and work out what the problem was, but with writing, it felt almost like a personal challenge. A challenge I accepted with a grin. I wanted to get better and to be better, more so than I ever wanted to be with as an artist. That was when I realized that art was something I did when I was bored, writing I did because I want to create.
Why do I write and why does this blog exist? Because I want to share my creations with people. I don’t care if I never become popular or make any money off it. It’s just fun and an awesome feeling to know that someone out there might be enjoying my writing.
(Source: jrbrabson.com)
The writing and musings of J.R.Brabson
