Why I write? It’s terrible that I don’t know, isn’t it? 😉 Let me think about it: I love it. It makes me feel more alive. Talking about books is my favorite way to connect with people. Reading books shows me other perspectives and deepens my understanding and empathy. I’ve always loved learning new words. I enjoy the rhythm that good writing can achieve. And I’m good at it – she says humbly. 😉 I’m kidding, but there’s truth in it. I can’t run well. I don’t have much artistic talent. I cannot sing at all. I’m not drawn to doing any of those things. On the other hand, I can cook. I can fix things. And I can write. So that’s what I do. And, when I think about it more deeply, I guess I have a similar motive to you. I write protagonists who are strong, ambitious women who want more, who believe they deserve it. This is who I want my daughters and their friends to be.

Thanks, Nancy, for making me answer a question I’ve never asked myself.

xx

MM Finck
WWWB Interviews & Agents’ Corner

I appreciate that, Natalia. Like you, I get frustrated with the countless writing and rewriting. That’s when the reminder about why I do this sustains me. I can’t wait to read your novels, too, someday soon.

I write to expand my own awareness, and, I hope, facilitate the expansion of awareness for my readers.

I look forward to reading your novels. I expand my awareness by reading too.

Erin, thank you so much. You’re obviously very clear about your purpose as a writer. I like the way your intent starts with satisfying a personal, more internal quest and then moves to a larger macro impact. I look forward to reading your novels one day soon, too!

Why do I write? It’s clear to me that the reason is threefold.

First, I am compelled by imagination. I cannot stop thinking about people and scenarios and wanting to read that story and this other story. And so, I write for the reason Toni Morrison gave: “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”

Second, and I think more importantly, the process of writing is and has always been integral to my growth as a person. I cannot remember something without writing it down. I am a prodigious note-taker in educational settings. I am an underliner and double-underliner in books–it’s why I buy books instead of going to the library–I can’t not write in them. And if there is something I wish I understood better or some deep problem or emotion or misunderstanding I want to grasp and make sense of, I need to write my way through it. A lot of my writing is driven by the desire to know what I feel about something or understand why people act the way they do. I become a more empathetic person as I write. Hopefully people reading those books someday will find themselves going on the same journey of understanding.

Third, and kind of a marriage of the first two reasons, I believe there’s a reason I can’t stop imagining things to write about. We’re all given gifts and talents and admonished to use those gifts to glorify the One who gave them. I write to do that. To hopefully increase our understanding and love for each other, but also to point to something bigger, something beyond and above and yet right there with us.