It’s good to have friends.
Amy found out about this series from her friend Anne Marvin, who gave us our very first post for Why I Write What I Write. I’m glad too, because she’s done a pretty bitching job here. Thanks for contributing, Amy! The mic is yours…
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I write because it is one of the few things I do well. I’ve written for indifferent and crazy bosses – sometimes simultaneously, often consecutively. I’ve written anonymously for friends for whom a blank computer screen elicits an almost phobic response. I’ve written for myself when I’m all yelled out but still filled with rage and fear – two emotions that for me always show up together. I write so that my truth can be heard and maybe lift up another’s perspective on life. I write for the possibility that if the literary stars align and I’m ‘on my game’, that maybe, just maybe, I can improve a tiny sliver of our messed up world. I write because I am a writer.
“Should I get a Twitter account and follow you?” asked my supportive husband.
“No. Thank you, though. I am more flattered when strangers follow me or comment on a blog entry. Seems like cheating when I know the people.” So, I guess I write for strangers.
But I also write for myself. I write because I have to. Because a day without sufficient time with words and my laptop doesn’t feel like a fully-lived day. Even if my ‘screen time’ is filled with just that – staring at a blank screen – it grounds me in purpose and makes me feel alive.
I write when I am all screamed out – after the volcano of my emotion has erupted on my family and they still don’t heed my wisdom. I retreat to my screen to avoid their scowling faces, which serve as a mirror of my failure. I write because I cannot speak or shout in a way my family can hear me.
Sometimes I whisper onto the page – to gain attention amidst the sea of screaming, bitching malcontents – both within my head and on the airwaves — in the hope that even if I cannot speak so that people can hear, maybe if I whisper my point onto the page, I will be part of the greater conversation.
I write to validate my existence. When I’m with my words, I am an independent, creative spirit. I am not a mother, a daughter, sister or spouse – I am doing something just for me and as me. I write because that is what Amy does.
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About Amy Sommer
writer, mother and worrier.
Find her here:
Website: http://www.fretforhire.com/
Twitter: @amysommer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amy.sommer.505
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Want In On This?
Are you a writer? Whether you’re just starting out or an old hat; unpublished, indie published, or traditionally published- we want to hear from you!
To participate in our guest series, simply write us a blog post that answers the question “Why I Write What I Write”. It can be as long or as short as you want- we’re playing it pretty fast and loose.
Please send your posts to lauraolivabooks@gmail.com, with “Why I Write What I Write” in the subject heading (please include any author links/pics you would like in the post). The posts will be scheduled as they come in, with one post going up each Monday, and we’ll all publicize the hell out of them on FB and Twitter.
Can’t wait to hear from you!
Write Bitches 