IWSG November 2020 Update

Albert Camus once said, “The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.” Flannery O’Conner said, “I write to discover what I know.” Authors across time and distance have had many reasons to write. 

Why do you write what you write? I'm a natural born daydreamer who enjoys frequent breaks from reality.  Writing is my favorite way of controlling an out-of-control world. At it's most basic, it's my tendency reconstruct reality...what if instead of this happening, what if that happened? In the beginning, this resulted in nothing more useful than scraps of stories, weak poetry, and some half-baked essays. It wasn't until my dad and my brother were simultaneously diagnosed with cancer  that my brain started to focus on novel-length stories. Putting together complex, novel-length stories gave my brain something other than tragedy to focus on. Reality left me heart broken; fiction was the balm. With make-believe, I could count on happy endings. Something life never guarantees.  

Speaking of life insisting on being a downer, my husband's father passed away last week. He'd been battling cancer- his fourth or fifth different kind in a decade. He was such a fighter who rarely- if ever- complained about his health that I honestly thought the man could beat anything. He'd overcome leukemia and melanoma without spending a single night in a hospital. Most people would have worried themselves into a grave years ago, but he was pragmatic. And busy. No time to worry over it. He had work to do. And that's what he did. He kept moving forward. Living each day until the very end. I suppose our shock is comforted by the fact that this man, who was never one to be dependent on anyone for anything, never had to feel like he was a burden.

Were this fiction, this would have been nothing more than a temporary all-is-lost moment where everyone hugs at the end and says, "Whew, that was close." 

That is a very good reason to write. 

                                                         

                                                                      💔  

The awesome co-hosts for the November 4 posting of the IWSG are Jemi Fraser, Kim Lajevardi, L.G Keltner, Tyrean Martinson, and Rachna Chhabria!

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This month's book is Animal Farm
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Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

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