Someone else posted about why they write and it got me thinking. I wrote the following as a reply to their post but it seemed somehow wrong (maybe egotistical?) to put this as a reply when they did not really ask others why they wrote. That being said, I would love nothing more than to hear others reasons for writing what the wonderful people here enjoy reading so much.
When I began writing it was because I had a story in my head that begged to be put to paper. I carried too much pain within me and tackling it by mystic means was very fulfilling. Sadly many of the "real world" enemies my characters face are people I have had the unfortunate opportunity to deal with my my life. These awful people may not have faced judgement in the real world but in my fantasy world, each person received their just desserts. That made me feel tremendously better.
I also give my lead characters traits I wish I possessed myself. I may not be short and cute or statuesque and unbelievably gorgeous but I can lose myself in one of characters who is. Those characters do go through hardships but that is to remind myself that there is always a rainbow after a storm.
After I finished my first tale, it was at least a year before I allowed anyone to see it. The idea of putting my labor of love out for public consumption and judgement terrified me. (It still does to a great extent) That being said, I did post my stories which are not to a lot of tastes because of their length and mythological themes. I was floored by the positive reaction to continue writing so I did. Not because of the positive feedback. I would have written regardless, I simply would not have posted them anywhere.
Then I made the mistake of listing them on Amazon where negative reviews mattered much more. I began writing for the money and writing with reviews and comments in mind. When I tried writing for the money and reviews instead of for me, the joy left completely and the depression returned.
I probably have 20 stories that I started for the wrong reasons and they will NEVER see the light of day because they were not written with the little piece of me I put into all my heroines and the stories suffered as a result.
Now I again write only when I have a story bugging me to be told. Postive feedback is great and I'd be lying if I said I did not enjoy hearing from people who enjoy what I do ( I LOVE hearing from those few of you!) but it is not the driving factor anymore.
Comments
Since you asked ...
Since you ask about other people's reason and motivation I'd like to share mine.
- It may sound stupid but a big part is me wanting to learn English or rather getting better at it. I am from Germany and English is only my secondary language. So in part, I write as an exercise.
- When I stumbled upon TG stories, in general, I noticed that many stories are rehashes of old stories. Always the same theme and/or method of transformation. My first step before becoming an active writer was to write down new or fresh ideas. Well, at least new to me.
- TG fiction offers something interesting to explore. Whatever the cause of a gender-bending it means the lives of the person and those around them will change forever. That not just means character development, but demands it and screams it out loud. To explore how a character reacts and changes is a big motivational point for me.
- Touching readers is a big unexpected plus. I didn't think I was writing on the level yet to do this. Yet I got PMs and Emails to one story or another where readers say something like "This story was close to my heart because of...". I would take one such feedback over 1000 kudos or 100 comments any day. Very motivational. Yet hard to achieve.
- Of course telling a story is a big part of my motivation. But more so is creating and sharing a world. As much as I like to find new means of TG transformation methods I also like to try to make the worlds they take place in alive.
Well, that's about it.
Hope that helped satisfy your curiosity a bit.
Kisses
Cassy
Thank you!
Thanks for sharing! Your reasoning is not stupid at all, I admire how you are writing to better yourself! I too enjoy seeing how different lives are effected are the story progresses.
I agree about touching readers. I love those feedbacks as well. For me they are them most rewarding.
Thank you again!
HUGS!!
Why do I do it?
Once I was introduced to the library in elementary school I could not stop reading. Hardy boys then Nancy Drew were some of the earliest I remember reading. Discovered Jules Verne by the age of 7 and read everything both the school library and the public library had of his. Once I discovered R.A. Heinlein I was hooked on science fiction.
Later I found my head filled with all these ideas for stories. Stories that if I never write them down and share them, will be one day lost. So I write them down and share them, some are accepted as good stories, some are not and once in a while one is praised beyond my expectations.
But it all comes down to one thing, Why do I do it? It's because if I don't, the story will never be told.
We the willing, led by the unsure. Have been doing so much with so little for so long,
We are now qualified to do anything with nothing.
I can relate
I was much like yourself when I was little. Now I work in a library and it is always a gift to see a child come in with an insatiable appetite for reading. It's fun to show them my favorites and see them embrace the books for themselves.
I hate to think of the number of stories that have been lost due to inaction on my part not to write them when they came to mind.
Thank you so much for sharing your reasons with me!
HUGS
it's a Gift
I missed your work until recently and I guess that shows how many people contribute to this site.
You shouldn't hold back you have a gift and you are a real author not a story writer.
Hugs