This is my entry for the #BlogBattle hosted by Rachael Ritchey. This week, the theme that seemed to stand out in my mind as I envisioned the story, was something of a Horror. I hope you enjoy it!

Earlier today I experienced something of a philosophical moment. Or, as one of my friends called it, a "brief writer's existential crisis" - whatever that was supposed to mean. But in that moment that still lacks a proper description, I found myself asking the question "Why do we, authors, write?"

What drives us to love it so much that we can't stop, that we type through carpal tunnel syndrome and cramping fingers? Why do we fight writer's block, rant about missing muses, and advocate creativity until our voices disappear - and then proceed to continue our proclamations on paper with any medium within reach?

Thankfully my little crisis didn't last long. I answered myself a few minutes later:

I write because, when I do, there is a sense of freedom and euphoria that only comes from doing something that makes me indescribably happy. It makes me feel like I'm doing something that I want to dedicate my life too. There is nothing more exciting to me than creating a world of my own, and then sharing it with people.

But it got me to thinking - why do other people write? So I went and asked them. Below are some of the reasons that came up from people I asked in Google+ Communities. I've also included a few from well known published authors.


Expression
Many writers say that they want to write to express themselves and their creativity, their emotions and thoughts:

Brant Waldeck ~ "It’s a great outlet for creative expression. I often wake up in the wee hours of the morning with story ideas that I just have to get out. My subconscious makes it impossible for me not to write. The ideas will keep nagging me until I get them written down."

Tom Jacobs ~ "Writing is painting, making music, singing, dancing, acting, reasoning, philosophize, love, hate, shout, whisper, cry, laugh, smile, create, to build and destroy, fight, criticize, express ourselves, communicate our inner secrets, dream, hope, despair, fantasize, note, observe ourselves and everything that exists, searching for truth and the meaning of life, accept, reject..."

Lou Cadle ~ "It has changed over time. Now, I mostly enjoy the challenge of the craft. The vivid sentence, the fast-paced action scene, the dialog that makes me smile a few months later: those small things keep me writing."

Cassandra Samuels ~ "I think when you're a storyteller it's just in you."

Leanne Dyck ~ "It is how I express myself to the world." 

To Help or Educate
Some writers focus mainly on teaching people new things, or to focus on certain needs that people have and to help them with it. They write to give advice.

Bruce Hurwitz ~ "I have always written in order educate. It’s the academic in me. But my last book, A Hooker’s Guide to Getting a Job, was written to also fill a need. In this case, the need was for a simple, straight forward, no-nonsense guide for job seekers (with a humorous edge)."

Because of Imagination, and to Inspire
This is probably one of the easiest to understand - all writers have some world that they imagine, and we all love to put those worlds on paper for other people to enjoy. And if they are somehow inspired by what they read, all the better!

Adrienne Monson ~ "I’ve been living inside my head since I was a child. I don’t have a long attention span, and when I was bored in class, my mind would drift to some world from my imagination – rich with characters and conflict."

Andrew Ewing ~ "I must write to tell the stories of the people and places that saved me from my darkest moments. I feel their stories are as important as any others I have read, they have always spoken to me, in my heart where stories belong. I can only hope that my stories will find the readers that need them most, and maybe, just maybe, after reading something I have written, they too will be inspired to take the journey and to share their stories with others, and most of all I hope, in the darkness, there is a little bit of sanity." 

To Influence People
Some people write mainly to be a positive influence on other people.

Charles J Deguara ~ "I write to entertain and to be a positive influence."

Because Passion, Because Pleasure!
And why not? If writing does not make you happy, then why write? For many writing feels like a calling. It's something they can do night or day and they don't want to imagine doing anything else because it just makes them so darn happy!

J. Douglas Porter ~ "Writing is a creative passion that gives me great pleasure. I enjoy living in the imaginary world of my characters and creating a world of my own making. it also forms an outlet for my urge to tell my professional life’s story, only told in novel form."

Amy Merriweather ~ "It's that simple for me, writing brings me joy.  In learning that is what life is all about, doing what makes us happy.  It also helps to give purpose and make sense from the myriad of emotions that life brings, as Tom Jacobs so definitively mentioned.  Writing is a culmination of everything...creating and destructing."

Derek. Bill. Langham ~ "Don't wonder, you were lucky enough to be chosen and given FREE a writers mind. Being endowed with this, you can travel to far away places, create characters and tales to entertain others and in so doing fill your heart with the joy of it all. Aren't we all so lucky to be chosen. We are different, very different, but we just have to enjoy and live with that."

To Entertain
For what are we, if not entertainers?

Ron Glick ~ "My first motivation though is to entertain – I take a great deal of pleasure from making others happy, and I use my writing as a means of pleasing others.  I love to hear back from people who have read my books, and especially when I have succeeded in captivating them."

For Fame
I prefer to call this section 'To Be Remembered". There's something immortal about having your words on paper, where people can touch them, keep and treasure them, and still read them years after you're gone.

Ann Everett ~ “I want to be known and I want to be remembered.”

Paul Smith ~ "Immortality (a bit glib I know) but my words will live on after I am no more."

Anthony Palmer ~ "Lately I've been writing just to breathe. To know I'm not just waking up to just another day. Find solace in my lack of accomplishments knowing one day I might not be known but my book will. It helps me yell to the world I exist. So says my words, so says my posts and so says my incorrect grammar and the nazi's that follow."

What do you mean WHY? We Have Too!
This one popped up the most. For many of us, there isn't really a why. There's just this absolute feeling of 'We have to write!'. Well, that and 'If we didn't write, the crazy would take over!'. If you're an author, you will understand that second one very well!

Nick Moore ~ "It's damn good fun, and relieves a bit of the pressure in my head from all the craziness that runs rampant in there."

Andy Hainline ~ "I write to quiet the demons and chain-rattling ghosts in my skull, as well as to quench the thirst for wonder that my imagination generates.  It's like it's overheating sometimes, and I have to do something to appease it, to cool it down . . . and so, I write to relieve the pressure inside, to expand my horizons, and to satiate my desire for other worlds to explore."

Cynthia MacGregor - It’s who I am. It’s what I love. I even write for fun on top of writing for a living. I couldn’t NOT write. I need to write like I need to breathe, to eat, it’s vital to me.

Andrew Ewing ~ "I must write to stay sane. Since I was a kid I have had stories, characters, what-ifs, things that seemed so real to me I had trouble separating my thoughts between life and imagination. I would spend hours, each day thinking about being an astronaut, soldier, scientist, teacher, serial killer, detective, doctor, time traveler, and so forth."

Brandon S ~"If I don't write, I feel awful. Like the words want out, and are forcing themselves free."

So there you have it. Thanks to all the wonderful writers out there who responded - make sure to follow the links to see their fantastic profiles!

These are several of the reasons why we write - though there are probably a ton more!

Why do you write?

It's Week 3!

If you're anything like me, this generally is the point where we start panicking, where doubt falls on your shoulders like a laser guided missile and you begin to wonder "Why am I doing this?". I'm not going to tell you why you should be writing - that's up to you - but here are a few tips as we enter the next milestone in this WONDERFUL ADVENTURE!

1. Just Write!
I know, it sounds much easier than it is. You feel like banging your head against the typewriter or keyboard every time you sit down, and nothing seems to inspire you to write. But sometimes it isn't so much about the muse and the inspiration - it's about remembering that you committed to doing this (for yourself!) and that you have everything you need to complete your story. To quote Stephen King - "The Magic is in you."

And if you still have your doubts, then think about it this way - just write one word at a time.

2. Don't Plan Too Much
It's an easy trap to fall into. Every time you hit a wall you think "Back to the drawing board, I need more planning!" Or worse, you do a ton of research and try to work all of it into your story. This is a weakness of mine - I LOVE doing research. And once I have pages and pages of juicy facts that have sweet-bugger-all to do with my story, I keep trying to find ways to work them in. The fact is that too much planning can keep you stuck in front of the drawing board and away from writing, and too much research can boost your word count but slow your story down so much that you get bored writing it.

Keep it simple!

3. Eliminate Distraction

“There should be no telephone in your writing room, certainly no TV or videogames for you to fool around with. If there’s a window, draw the curtains or pull down the shades unless it looks out at a blank wall... You could do worse than strip your television's electric plug-wire, wrap a spike around it, and then stick it back into the wall. See what blows, and how far. Just an idea.” - Stephen King

Yes, yes, I know I quote him a lot, but can you truly think of a better way to say 'Avoid distraction' than 'Blow Up Your TV'? I didn't think so. I know it's tempting to watch your favourite series, or play your favourite game. So make it a bit easier - take the distraction out of the equation completely. For a gamer like myself, being on the computer typing is temptation enough. I'm only lucky I don't have a television to blow!

4. Accept Bad Writing
You are writing a novel in 30 days - Give yourself permission to write badly! I've reminded you before (and I'll do it every time I post until NaNoWriMo is over) that the point of this madness is to get your first draft on paper. It's not easy, hell, sometimes it's downright painful! Especially when you take a minute or two to quickly read what you've written. Some of us can even feel our eyeballs bleed as we read the horror that our story has become!

But that's not the point.

Dig, dig, and for heaven's sake, BURY that inner editor so far down that you have to go Editor Hunting (a close relative of Muse Hunting) once your story is done. Right now, just enjoy the flow of words as you get them down, and reward yourself for that step.

Allow yourself to write badly!

5. Sometimes You Need a Break
It's true. It sounds horrible, especially here in Week 3, but if you keep pushing yourself to the limits, you might find yourself starting to hate what you love. That's normal, of course, and bound to happen at some point. And there are times when you need to push through and past it. But there are also times when you need to settle down with a hot cup of coffee, some good music and a great book.

Reading is actually a great way to take a break - ask any published author, and they will tell you that they read quite a bit themselves. It's not only a good way to relax, but also a way to get inspired and learn a few tricks from an author you admire for free!

6. Most important - "Write For Yourself, Write To Be Happy."
Write because you LOVE it. Write because it's the first thing you think of when you wake up, and you can't imagine yourself doing anything but write for the rest of your life. Don't write to be famous, don't do it for money or recognition and fame. Maybe that will come, maybe it won't. But every time you sit down to write, feel the bubbles of joy (or love-hate, whichever) inside you as you imagine the world your about to create.

If you do that, then nothing can stop you!




What are you going to do to get yourself through this week? Are there any things you like to do, things that inspire you? How do you feel when you write?

Let me know!

So You Want To Build A Strong Social Presence?

With the power of social media today, it's no surprise that so many people from all walks of life have started to build their online presence and creating their personal brands. If you've decided that this is something you want to try, then there are a few things you need to know:

1. Commit
The first thing you need to know is that this isn't going to be easy, and definitely not a decision to make lightly. You also need to understand that it's not going to happen overnight. So, when you decide that you want to market yourself online through personal branding, then commit to it - and understand what you're committing to. It often means choosing to write a blog post, creating a video, etc, over doing another activity.

There are no half measures here - especially not in the beginning.


2. Know Why
If you are going to make this long term commitment, you need to know why. Are you doing this just to get your name out there, or are you marketing something specific? For example, I decided to build my online presence to practice my writing, and to start building a fanbase for my writing. I also decided that I wanted to inspire new writers, and collaborate with existing ones.

What about you?

Maybe you have a great idea for a Youtube channel series or show, or you have a fantastic book full of family recipes that you want to share. Or maybe you have a talent or skill, and you want to share it with the world, and show them how they can develop it as well.

Once you've decided why you want to build your social base, and about which topic, stick to it! General blogs can work it some cases, but it's very important in the beginning to decided on who your target market will be, and work on drawing them in.


3. Choose your platforms
Which social media platform do you want to use? There are many available today, and I would recommend a combination of several - but, again, this is up to you. Personally I prefer a combination of Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Blogger, and DeviantArt. This doesn't mean they'll work for you. You might prefer to swop out a written blog for Youtube, and decide that Pinterist is more your thing. I can't honestly say that one platform is better than another - I can only say that they all have their own unique features. Pick those that you feel comfortable working with, and can easily tailor your content to.


4. Prepare
Someone once told me that planning is 90% of the work. If you do that properly, the rest will fall into place much easier. Plan your blog posts or videos, schedule your tweets and Facebook posts, and prepare a list of topics you can talk or write about. When it comes to scheduling posts, I love using Hootsuite, but it's not the only social media management tool out there.

Once you have a list of topics, and you know where you're going...


5. Write!
Or Record, whatever the case may be. Start putting your content, your art or your videos out there. Get your content together, try to be as unique as possible, and when things get tough - keep going! This is where you can get creative, and draw people into your world.


6. Be Active & Reciprocate
This is a very important element. It's very easy to skip tweeting for a day or two, to not have something to post, or not putting up new content. While it won't have such a major effect later on, in the beginning it's vital to be as active as possible. You need to be in front of people all the time! When they're browsing for new content around your chosen topic, make sure there's something fresh for them to find.

But this isn't a one way street! Go out and find others that know about your field, or are interested in it. Give advice, connect and initiate conversations. And if someone takes the time to read or look at your work, reciprocate! If you don't engage with your audience now, you might not have an audience to engage with later.


In short, deciding to create a social presence is not a decision to make lightly, and it requires dedication, time and creativity. Are you willing to invest yourself?

I would love to hear your opinions and stories! Or, if you feel like I missed something, please comment below and let me know!

As Always,