Why I Write

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." "Call me Ishmael." "Four score and seven years ago..." "When in the course of human events it becomes necessary..."

As a writer I have a (not so) secret desire to pen words that people will read and recognize for centuries. It boils down to my knowledge that I am mortal, yet I want something I do to transcend mortality. I can't sing very well, my piano and violin skills leave something to be desired, and I am certainly no Michelangelo or Picasso. So, what do I have to outlive me, I have the words I create.

That is part of my motivation to write, but just part of it. Like other artists, I am compelled to write and share my thoughts. I have to get it out. Without being gross, it is like vomit- once it is there, you have to let it go, it isn't staying down.

Finally, the Lord has given me a story to tell. I do not always make the right decisions, I veer from the path and I have struggles. I've faced many dark days and even blacker nights. I've also been to the mountaintop and seen many a spectacular sunrise. It is because of this that I know God is there. I want to share this feeling, this knowledge with others.

I know God is here because I was protected, because I'm here. There have been a few occasions in my life when my life should have ended, but God said, "I'm not ready to call you home yet". I know God is here because I see Him in every part of creation, from the colors of sunrise, to the weeds, to the crazy animals He created, to the way humans are created.

I know God is here because I see Him in all the good that is in every day. Yes, we live in a hard time, and it doesn't seem to be getting better. Jobs and money are scarce, our culture is a pit of glee for Satan, and natural disasters happen all the time. Yet, there is so much good too, we just get so mired in daily life that we fail to see it.

Just as an artist has a myriad of reasons why he creates, I have a myriad of reasons why I write. I may never write immortal words, or I may (and they just may never be read), but I still do it because I have to. All this to say, I write because it is a big part of who I am. I'm a writer.

-JLP-