The Write Reason

A few weeks ago I was watching a movie with my family called “Alex and Emma”. It was a pretty good movie, in my opinion. It’s about a man named Alex who owes money to the Cuban mob. He can get the money only if he finishes his latest manuscript, and if he doesn’t get the money…I’m sure you can guess. The only catch is, he has 30 days to finish the book. So, he hires a stenographer named Emma to write what he dictates. She ends up being an inspiration for him, as well as a critic while he’s writing.
The movie talked about writing in general and why Alex writes.
Which got me thinking about the reasons I write. I guess you could say I inherited my love for writing from my dad. But I think that my family often wonders what draws me to writing.
Being a writer lets you (through your character) do things you can’t do, or say things you can’t say. You can face your fears as a writer, deal with obstacles.
As a writer you have a certain level of control, of power. But the real magic of being a writer (the reason I do it) is making your characters come alive. Letting your characters tell you where the story will go, letting things play out how they will.
Writing is about compromise. About giving your characters what they want, but ultimately taking the story where you want it to go. Writing is about creating worlds and people and places. It’s about letting you use your imagination. Writing is addictive. And yes, I do talk to my characters.
I know I probably sound crazy to some of you non-writers, heck, probably to the writers. But it’s something difficult to understand, why someone does things. It’s like trying to understand why a bungee jumper jumps. You can only try and understand.
I love to write, to escape reality for a short time. It…relaxes me.
So, there. That’s why writing appeals to me. Whatever reasons you have for doing what you love, I’m sure it’s the write reason (haha, get it?).
All the best,
~Mila

p.s And if you're wondering, I like the central format of these posts better...it looks nicer.