About

Why I Write

When I was a kid, I didn't write -- I drew. I drew everything and on everything. This is how I learned the walls were not a canvas and the hallway was not a gallery. Television and video games quickly discouraged me by the pace at which they created their images. But the limitations of those mediums illustrated a blank space, one easily filled by my own imagination and thoughts.




 

Stuck in the absurd world of high school and college, humor came naturally. The challenge became making sense of what I encountered, rather than merely ridiculing it. Abandoning my steady-as-she-goes major for a focus in Creative Writing made classes enjoyable  and brought a sense of satisfaction amid great anxiety. But as I entered the working world that was all it was, or became: writing to make the insufferable, tolerable. Creative ventures are like that for a lot of us.  

 
 

 

 
I write, but I also work full-time and that’s okay. Because for me, writing is not a way to make money, or be popular. Writing is a way to be honest -- with others, but also with myself. Putting my thoughts on the screen compels me to examine who I am. For me, writing is satisfying, but not always entirely enjoyable. A lot interests me and the effort and strain to get started is considerable. What always proves worthwhile is the engrossing nature of creating; the motivations; the environment; the imbalances.




Some days creating can be so engrossing that I must exhaust myself to leave it. I must write and edit to the point of disgust, until I will not lie awake considering other possibilities. It makes me smile when my ideas result in recognition greater than my thoughts, summits that are discovered across days, and months, and years.

To some, what I write will be just more crayon on the wall. But my hope is that there are some patient readers who may see a glimpse of honesty or beauty seen through the eyes of another.

 

Bio

I am a miscreant mind; eager to make a joke but also to listen with individuals eager to share questions and observations. Those tendencies eventually resulted in an English degree and a subsequent career in education.

 Although not as voracious a reader as I used to be, my preferred genres are science fiction and fantasy, however; it is classic literature that stays with me longest and influences me most. Even so, my interest in history and anthropology makes non-fiction a considerable portion of my recent reading.

Apart from books and writing, I stay as busy as possible with work and volunteering my time for others. In free moments I enjoy movies, and animals, and not talking about myself ...which is probably why I like animals.