And now, it's Road Trip time! This blog carnival is hosted by the lovely folks over at YA Highway,
and if you haven't participated yet, you really should. All you have to
do is pop over to their website, answer the prompt on your blog, and
leave a link in the comments section of today's post. Easy peasy, right?
Today's question: What's your numero-uno reason for writing?
This question seems like it would yield a lot of similar answers. "I like telling stories." "I have a lot of stories to tell." "I've always done it, and I can't imagine doing anything else." Those answers are probably true for a lot of people, myself included. But they aren't the main reason I write.
This is going to make me sound like a terrible-horrible-no-good-very-bad-weirdo, but...the main reason I write is for control. My personality type, according to the Myers-Briggs assessment, is INFJ. According to Vessels and Flowers (a great book that I'll get into another time), I'm a Dogwood in a Pitcher. Basically what it boils down to is that I'm an introverted person (I'm easily overstimulated and retreat to my own space when that happens) who is very organized and detail-oriented. I THRIVE on control and being able to keep my universe organized. I CRAVE routine and schedules. It sometimes creates a little bit of a problem when I have to interact with people, but it's part of who I am.
Writing allows me absolute control over a fictional universe. I'm the boss, and my characters do what I say, when I say it. I'm able to decide how the setting is laid out, what daily routines look like and how closely they're followed, etc. Writing allows me to put myself in control when it feels like things are crumbling around me. It centers me, and takes away some of the stress that comes from daily life (because let's face it, no one is in control of everything in their life). With all the tension and chaos building up around this approaching wedding, it's nice to be able to give myself tunnel vision and focus on one thing I can control: my writing.
Now that I sound like a complete and utter loon...what's your main reason for writing? :)
J
