The Northwest Voice

I have been writing, quite frankly, for as long as I can remember.

When I was a child I would entertain myself by creating new worlds and adventures for my toys, even going as far as to log each day's play session in a notebook, creating "episodes" of a longer, fantastic saga to which I'd subject my characters.

I would make everything into an adventure. Trips to the grocery store would turn into a mad dash down the toiletries aisle, escaping from the evil fruit demons who wished to possess my body.

It's funny, when I tell people my stories from childhood, strange, troubled glances always come back to me. They think they're staring at a borderline schizophrenic or something. In the end, though, all my childhood fantasies were only in good fun ––  which brings me to the reason why I write.

Writing is my livelihood. I can certainly say it now if I couldn't ever before, especially after spending my entire summer writing a 300,000-word novel. Nothing makes me happier than to devote 100 percent of my energy to the creation of brilliant worlds and characters. It's as if my overactive imagination itself is the fuel that keeps these fingers of mine pumping at the keyboard.

That's not to say, however, that the production process itself is what keeps me going. If it was as simple as that, there would be no need for me to pursue publishing anything! No, the true reason I write is to hopefully bring this fun, excitement and joy to others as well, as countless authors have done before to me. If I can make people feel even a portion of the happiness I myself get from reading a fabulous story, it would make me feel at peace. I write stories that I enjoy, of course, but that's not the focus of why they're written; I write them so that everyone else can enjoy them with me!

To me, there's nothing better than sitting down with a friend, both of you holding a copy of your favorite novel, and discussing the details of the plot and characters until the break of dawn. That's the “icing” on the cake of literature, to me –– to be able to lose yourself utterly in a world so fantastic and intriguing that it gives you a drive to talk and share your opinions about it.

Maybe I'm the weird one. Just like my delusions about fruit monsters, maybe I'm the only one who feels that mysterious voice inside that compels me to spill my thoughts onto digital paper. Either way, though, my first and foremost hope is that my stories can touch the hearts of even one person somewhere around the globe. If I can do even that much, then I'll feel at ease that I'm doing the right thing.