Why Write, or, Why I Write by Jean Madigan
WHY WRITE, OR, WHY I WRITE
I thought about writing how confused and depressed I am, but a lot of other thoughts came into my head and jumbled my decision on what to write.
JOURNAL ENTRY 3/24/05
"Why am I depressed? Why do I envy others their success? Because I feel that there's not enough left for me. Several authors have said we're supposed to write because we have a story to tell and not for money, but if we get the money, that's gravy.
Why do I write? Because there’s some burning desire within me to tell the world about something that’s important to me. It might only affect one other person, but if it helps that person, my mission has been accomplished. When I DON’T write, I feel like something is missing in my soul. Throughout the years, I gave up too quickly when rejections piled up and no one was around to answer my questions. For the past two years, I’ve hung in there, trying not to give up, because if I persevere, I will write to the best of my ability.
Do I feel that someone is against me because I'm not selling stories? Who would I sell them to, with my endings? It’s not really THAT important that I sell them. I just want to get the process right and then go to town and write my heart out.
I truly AM grateful to Donna for telling me to tighten plot, omit adjectives and adverbs, not tell, but show, etc. It's painful though, to know that I've been on the wrong track all these years, to know why my stories haven't sold. I guess it's a process, just like being a Christian is a process. It’s not something you stumble upon and then it's accomplished. I'm just disappointed no one pointed these things out to me before, but this is no time for self-pity or crying over spilled milk, it's time for action, time for change."
Whatever success I have is due to the Holy Spirit within me. He is responsible for the quality of my writing, and I am responsible for the quantity. I ask for Him to make things clear to me and he does, when I listen.
© Jean Madigan, March, 2005, all rights reserved
Jean M. Madigan is a writer living with her husband in Phoenix, Arizona and has stories published at the following sites: http://www.sistersinthelord.org,/
http://www.penwomanship.com%20/
http://www.anthologiesonline.com/
http://www.whowon.com/. Nonfiction
Madigan is also the Women In History columnist for penwomanship.com http://www.worthfinding.com/ry
columnist for penwomanship.com
Links can be found at her website:
http:jean.handsforhope.com
htt://www.queenpower.com
disclaimer
I thought about writing how confused and depressed I am, but a lot of other thoughts came into my head and jumbled my decision on what to write.
JOURNAL ENTRY 3/24/05
"Why am I depressed? Why do I envy others their success? Because I feel that there's not enough left for me. Several authors have said we're supposed to write because we have a story to tell and not for money, but if we get the money, that's gravy.
Why do I write? Because there’s some burning desire within me to tell the world about something that’s important to me. It might only affect one other person, but if it helps that person, my mission has been accomplished. When I DON’T write, I feel like something is missing in my soul. Throughout the years, I gave up too quickly when rejections piled up and no one was around to answer my questions. For the past two years, I’ve hung in there, trying not to give up, because if I persevere, I will write to the best of my ability.
Do I feel that someone is against me because I'm not selling stories? Who would I sell them to, with my endings? It’s not really THAT important that I sell them. I just want to get the process right and then go to town and write my heart out.
I truly AM grateful to Donna for telling me to tighten plot, omit adjectives and adverbs, not tell, but show, etc. It's painful though, to know that I've been on the wrong track all these years, to know why my stories haven't sold. I guess it's a process, just like being a Christian is a process. It’s not something you stumble upon and then it's accomplished. I'm just disappointed no one pointed these things out to me before, but this is no time for self-pity or crying over spilled milk, it's time for action, time for change."
Whatever success I have is due to the Holy Spirit within me. He is responsible for the quality of my writing, and I am responsible for the quantity. I ask for Him to make things clear to me and he does, when I listen.
© Jean Madigan, March, 2005, all rights reserved
Jean M. Madigan is a writer living with her husband in Phoenix, Arizona and has stories published at the following sites: http://www.sistersinthelord.org,/
http://www.penwomanship.com%20/
http://www.anthologiesonline.com/
http://www.whowon.com/. Nonfiction
Madigan is also the Women In History columnist for penwomanship.com http://www.worthfinding.com/ry
columnist for penwomanship.com
Links can be found at her website:
http:jean.handsforhope.com
htt://www.queenpower.com
disclaimer
posted by Allyn Evans at 7:55 AM
1 Comments:
I agree with you, Jean. Our need to write is directed by a Power greater than us. Our urge to write is a message that needs to be shared. I admire your dedication to this calling. And I wish none of us ever got depressed over learning as much as we can of a skill--learning is a gift and a joy which we share with others...and you've been doing that ever since you 'chose' this course.
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