Why I Am a Writer

Dear Reader,

I find writing to be invigorating. When the words fall into place just the right way, when that one line pops into my head and I think "this is it," when the character does something that I never would have thought of, when I push past a period of blankness, I get a good feeling and I start to think that maybe being a writer isn't such a bad job. That being said, the real reason I am a writer is because of the people. But, how can this be, you might be asking yourself. Aren't writers typically introverts, immersing themselves in their work and leaving the "real" world behind? In a way, yes. However, there are a few things you should know.

First, I am not a typical writer, in that I am not an introvert. I enjoy the company of other people. This doesn't mean that I don't need my alone time. I'm just more sociable than most writers are portrayed to be.

Second, though writers can be introverted when it comes to "other" people, we are usually quite friendly with each other. We bounce ideas off of one another, critique another writer's work, and listen for their feedback on our own. So, even though we are commonly "loners," we are loners together. It's kind of like that Billy Joel line from Piano Man: "They're sharing a drink they call lonliness/But it's better than drinking alone."

I love other writers. I went to college for writing. My best friend is a writer. I married a writer. I surround myself with writers. This especially helps when dark days come like the one I had this past weekend. Like I said, I love it when I get a line that fits perfectly, and as Meg and I were talking about my Regulators story, she made a quick comment about it and my face lit up. The sentence she uttered would go perfectly in my story. Later that night, I sat down to write more of my story, and something terrible happened: I froze. I remembered the line, and I wrote it down, but absolutely nothing else came out. It was the perfect line, but nothing was happening to it. That's when terrible occurrence #2 happened: I decided I would never be a writer. I wasn't good enough, I never was, and I never will be. Meg refused my decision, but I had already made it...until today.

If you look at the left of the screen, Reader, you will notice I made a couple of changes to My Favorite Links. I removed Robin Parrish (I'll explain why at a later date) and I added a little something called YAtopia. This is a blog by YA writers and it features a fantastic writer named Sarah Nicolas. When I checked my e-mail today, Meg had sent me a link to Sarah's latest contribution to YAtopia: http://yatopia.blogspot.com/2012/03/struggle-with-your-self-esteem.html. Read this and you will see why it helped. Meg introduced me to Sarah Nicolas, and I have only recently discovered how good a writer she really is. Her blog entry came at the perfect time for me, and now I feel better about myself as a writer. Her link is right above YAtopia's. Check them both out. Follow them both. If you are a writer, you will thank me later for that. Which leads me to my next bit: Thank you, Sarah Nicolas, for being an inspiration to all aspiring writers out there. I look forward to reading more of her posts and seeing what enlightening bit of information she has next.

Before I go, Reader, I want to let you know that I will be having a special contributor on here to write up a very special entry of the Don't Judge A Book series. Here's a little hint: it has to do with a major movie that just hit theaters. Until then, Reader,

Speak freely. Write candidly. Read endlessly.

As Always,

James