Why Do We Do It?

Why do we do it? Why do we write? Why do we drive ourselves (and our loved ones) crazy with our passion?

I just returned from the SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) national conference in L.A. It was awesome! Listening to Susan Patron, who was the 2007 Newberry winner, or Arthur Levine, who edited the Harry Potter books, or Adam Rex, a "new" illustrator of children's picture books, I became inspired and motivated and more than ever determined to follow my dreams.

What I wanted to post about briefly today was the overwhelming message all of these successful people broadcasted. DON'T WRITE BECAUSE YOU WANT TO BE PUBLISHED AND MAKE A LOT OF MONEY. Write from your heart. Write because you love your story or your subject.

Sure, this is easy for them to say, especially the three people I mentioned above. They have all had great success. So, I started thinking about that advice a little more and realized, "Hey, I think they are right."

If you write from your heart, you will create a great story. You will create a masterpiece. This in turn will (most likely) create great success for you and lead you to publication. It will also be a lot more fun and a lot more rewarding. If you are writing for money, then you (most likely) will create a dud.

So, why do you do it?

Happy writing!
Margo Dill
www.margodill.com