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why we write
I write because I need to, because the stories are in my head, and I need to get them out. I write because it's an escape from the real world. I write because I haven't written fiction since I was a teenager, and it's been wonderful to have a creative hobby again. I write because I love doing it, love seeing my ideas become words on a page and then tweaking them until they convey exactly what I want them to.
But I have to admit it. I also write because I'm getting positive feedback on my efforts. "Fate" received an extremely gratifying review from a talented writer today, and I'm still on a high from it. It was the first thing I saw when I checked my email today -- what a way to begin a morning! I feel much as I did when I got my first review ever, for "Chasing My Past", from another author who had written a piece I admired (darkcyan? you still out there?), like maybe I have the hang of this writing thing after all.
I know that my stories are a little too long (80K words and maybe 2/3rds through on AGL, maybe), a little too dense, a little too literate for much of their potential audience. (It's the price I pay, I suppose, for writing in a fandom where many of the other authors are so much younger than I am. Not to put down anyone for youth; far from it -- some of the teens and young adults who write Final Fantasy fic are genuinely good writers, and others show promise for getting there with practice and discipline. I wish that I could have written some of the stories I see out there when I was 20. But I think being on the other side of 30 gives me a rather different perspective. It's interesting, and a bit of a challenge, being rather older than almost all the characters I write. Sometimes I have to remember to make them act like teenagers and twenty-somethings, albeit ones who grew up in much tougher circumstances than I did; I don't know that I always succeed.) So it's that much more satisfying when I receive appreciation for my work -- a thoughtful review, especially one that contains constructive criticism as well as accolades, an extended comment here. Maybe the opinions of strangers shouldn't matter so much to me, but the fact is that they do.
I need to get better about leaving reviews myself. I don't always feel like I have time, but if I have time to read, I have time to leave at least quick feedback.
But I have to admit it. I also write because I'm getting positive feedback on my efforts. "Fate" received an extremely gratifying review from a talented writer today, and I'm still on a high from it. It was the first thing I saw when I checked my email today -- what a way to begin a morning! I feel much as I did when I got my first review ever, for "Chasing My Past", from another author who had written a piece I admired (darkcyan? you still out there?), like maybe I have the hang of this writing thing after all.
I know that my stories are a little too long (80K words and maybe 2/3rds through on AGL, maybe), a little too dense, a little too literate for much of their potential audience. (It's the price I pay, I suppose, for writing in a fandom where many of the other authors are so much younger than I am. Not to put down anyone for youth; far from it -- some of the teens and young adults who write Final Fantasy fic are genuinely good writers, and others show promise for getting there with practice and discipline. I wish that I could have written some of the stories I see out there when I was 20. But I think being on the other side of 30 gives me a rather different perspective. It's interesting, and a bit of a challenge, being rather older than almost all the characters I write. Sometimes I have to remember to make them act like teenagers and twenty-somethings, albeit ones who grew up in much tougher circumstances than I did; I don't know that I always succeed.) So it's that much more satisfying when I receive appreciation for my work -- a thoughtful review, especially one that contains constructive criticism as well as accolades, an extended comment here. Maybe the opinions of strangers shouldn't matter so much to me, but the fact is that they do.
I need to get better about leaving reviews myself. I don't always feel like I have time, but if I have time to read, I have time to leave at least quick feedback.