A Confession--Why I Write

Like Emony (at the right) I tend to clam up when others speak

Most writers say they write "because I have to!" And that's a large part of the equation. Writers, myself included, are nearly always compelled to write, but that's rarely the whole picture.

I began writing for publication in 1969. I'd recently had a baby and didn't want to go back to the factory grind to earn the money my ex and I needed to survive. It wasn't enough and I did go back, but I made some juicy sales that spurred me to keep writing in my spare time. I've written for publication ever since.

Nowadays I write fulltime and more, usually six or seven days a week. To support my huge animal family, I must. But I write for other reasons too. For one thing, I love the research that goes into an article or even more, a whole fat book. I'd rather research most topics than eat or sleep. In fact, I vastly over-research because the lure of one more luscious tidbit of information leads me to try one more website. Then another and another and another. Research is my favorite part of writing.

But I also write to be heard. I was an extroverted child but something happened when a favorite teacher belittled me in seventh grade. I stopped speaking up and for the most part I still don't. So, I listen. Other people like that and really, I enjoy it too. But when I try to inject my interests into a conversation, people tend to tune me out. It's terribly discouraging sometimes.

So imagine my surprise when I learned I have…fans. People who enjoy and learn from the things I write. Now I don't fret when I can't get a toehold in a group discussion. Now I just listen, enjoy what the others say, and bide my time. Then, I sit down at the computer and write, knowing my readers care what I have to say. I love being heard. And I appreciate my fans with all my heart.

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