Why Write? (first pages of Joy Writing)

There's a party in my basement populated by the most intelligent, interesting, and creative people who have ever lived. As I sit outside, alone on my chilly patio, the sounds of laughter and eager conversation tug at me. I nearly put down my writing implements and join my friends but for a moment I resist. The party won't calm down before my fingers tire and my brain is empty. Anyway, I can picture what I'll see when I go down there:

A silver-haired gentleman in a white linen suit reclines in the most comfortable chair regaling those around him with stories of his childhood in India. A jolly red-faced man whose shirt won't stay tucked in tells a joke, then laughs loudly at his own punch line. A bright-eyed woman who believes in all things supernatural tosses her hair and convinces the rest of us to believe what she believes, at least for a while. A young man with a deep solemn voice speaks simple phrases that don't quite make sense, yet sound important. A pretty girl flirts outrageously.

Many of my guests are dead but it doesn't matter. They live in books that line my walls-the books they wrote. When I open the pages I'm by their side, listening raptly, watching them gesture and smile, living their lives with them once again. It's an irresistible party with only one drawback: they can't hear me. And so I sit on my patio and write my responses to them, clumsy and hesitant. I want to be part of their community. Of course there is honor in being an attentive listener or an avid reader; but sometimes we need to speak back, and so we write.

A carnival kind of magic resides within a well-written book. It intoxicates, confuses, delights, and hypnotizes the susceptible until they have no choice but to join the traveling show. Utterly drunk, they long to pull the curtain back, learn the incantations, and climb on stage. Given the right hat, they know they could extract a rabbit from it.

Most literary magicians who work the back roads in bright caravans never become Merlin or Houdini. Or Shakespeare, or Steinbeck, or anyone else you've ever heard of. Few writer aspire to greatness; fewer expect to become rich. Those are excuses we give friends to justify our addiction. We write because it's so much fun, because we are compelled to, because it's in our nature. When asked why he wrote such gruesome stuff, Stephen King replied, "What makes you think I have any choice?" He did not choose his writing life. It chose him. Most people write, not for money, fame, or extra credit on the final exam. It's more basic: once we learn to ride words around the block without skinning our knees, it's a blast.

No one can remodel you into a writer nor can anyone prevent you from committing random acts of literature. If you've got this book in your hands, you're probably already a wild-eyed addict, furtively sneaking words into sentences when no one's looking, rationalizing your actions, telling yourself you can stop whenever you want.

The first step is admitting you have a problem. The second step is constructing excuses, rationalizations, and plans so you may continue writing without the guilt.

The brilliant solution is to try to improve. In one master stroke it satisfies friends and relatives and makes you feel better. If you're trying to improve, snobs and relatives will cut you some slack, hoping you become so rich and famous you'll buy them a car. If you improve you might win a big literary prize and invite them to elegant parties. You might get published and recommend their book to your agent. With this plan, it doesn't matter how well you write today. Your art is a work in progress, a living thing undergoing metamorphosis, too fragile for the harsh light of criticism. Yes, writing is just a whole lot more respectable if you're trying to improve. But how?

It's not difficult to learn tricks of misdirection to work into your act: just remove yourself from the audience and watch from backstage. Notice when you find yourself most engrossed by a writer you admire, then pull yourself away and ask "what did she do that worked so well?" Don't ask as a reader, a member of the audience, but as an apprentice. That's how people improve their writing skills: by playing detective. Every writer leaves clues, fingerprints, secret codes, and treasure maps in their writing. All you have to do is notice them.

clearwater publishing company publishes Kenn Amdahl books in Colorado. Clearwater Publishing Company publishes educational fun books. Books include There Are No Electrons Electronics &lt;span class=&quot;style8&quot;&gt;for Earthlings, Algebra Unplugged, Calculus for Cats, Joy Writing: Discover and Develop your Creative Voice, The Land of Debris and the Home of Alfredo. Clearwater also publishes The Barefoot Fisherman: a fishing book for kids by Paul Amdahl. and Economics for the Impatient by C.A. Turner. Our books are about science, math, creative writing algebra, calculus s, economics, fishing, kids, parenting, education. Curriculums like them, and so do home schoolers. Joy of Writing and The Joy of Writing are not our books, but Joy Writing is. Kenn Amdahl is president. He's a songwriter and author in Broomfield Colorado. Electronics, teaching electricity, teaching math, especially alebra and calculus and creative writing. SAT, LSAT, and other test takers may like these books. They are like books for dummies, algebra for dummies, algebra unplugged, math book. kenn amdahl jim loats calculus for dummies, creative writing for dummies, fishing for dummies, parenting for dummies . Or Algebra for Idiots, Calculus for Idiots, Creative Writing for Dummies. Memoir writing or memoir writers may find Joy Writing useful, although it is not The Joy of Writing or the Joy of Sex or the joy of writing sex or the Joy of Algebra for that matter. They are not chicken soup for the writers soul, or algebra for the writers soul, or calculus for the writers soul. They are not strictly speaking Christian or religious or spiritual, but those folks are welcome. Jesus would not disapprove of these books. Jesus might like them. The Rapture of Writing might be a good title. Self-publishers read our books, Dan Poynter is recommended. Top ten bestsellers not on the list. New York Times Bestsellers are loved here. DaVinci Code or Harry Potter fans welcome. Obviously I'm practicing my writing on this web area that you should not be able to see because I need to make thisalgebra unplugged, math book. kenn amdahl jim loatsclearwater publishing company publishes Kenn Amdahl books in Colorado. Clearwater Publishing Company publishes educational fun books. Books include There Are No Electrons Electronics &lt;span class=&quot;style8&quot;&gt;for Earthlings, Algebra Unplugged, Calculus for Cats, Joy Writing: Discover and Develop your Creative Voice, The Land of Debris and the Home of Alfredo. Clearwater also publishes The Barefoot Fisherman: a fishing book for kids by Paul Amdahl. and Economics for the Impatient by C.A. Turner. Our books are about science, math, creative writingg algebra, calculus s, economics, fishing, kids, parenting, education. Curriculums like them, and so do home schoolers. Joy of Writing and The Joy of Writing are not our books, but Joy Writing is. Kenn Amdahl is president. He's a songwriter and author in Broomfield Colorado. Electronics, teaching electricity, teaching math, especially alebra and calculus and creative writing. SAT, LSAT, and other test takers may like these books. They are like books for dummies, algebra for dummies, calculus for dummies, creative writing for dummies, fishing for dummies, parenting for dummies . Or Algebra for Idiots, Calculus for Idiots, Creative Writing for Dummies. Memoir writing or memoir writers may find Joy Writing useful, although it is not The Joy of Writing or the Joy of Sex or the Joy of Algebra for that matter. They are not chicken soup for the writers soul, or algebra for the writers soul, or calculus for the writers soul. They are not strictly speaking Christian or religious or spiritual, but those folks are welcome. Jesus would not disapprove of these books. Jesus might like them. The Rapture of Writing might be a good title. Self-publishers read our books, Dan Poynter is recommended. Top ten bestsellers not on the list. New York Times Bestsellers are loved here. DaVinci Code or Harry Potter fans welcome. Obviously I'm practicing my writing on this web area that you should not be able to see because I need to make this square bigger and have not learned how yet except to type in words, poetry, prose, language, steinbeck type stuff, No Child Left Behind, that's my motto. Naked books, with no girls gone wild, no bikini models no first amendment problems. Sorry, no Jill, no wagner. no amateur index ladies or lightspeed girls or coeds or women. Just books about electricity, like Tesla or Edison might write, books about Algebra like Aristotle might write. Calculus books like Garfield the cat might write. Cat stuff, feline stuff, study guide type raw material. Books for girls who like to read and boys who know how to. Teach yourself math, science, fishing, in clear water or clearwater economics creative writing and poetry. Sing a song. Release a CD Write a book and self publish it. Groups we like include Book Organizations of Colorado, Colorado Independent Publishers Association CIPA Colorado Authors League Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Pikes Peak Writers Aspen Writers Mountains and Plains Booksellers Independent Booksellers SPAN Small Press Association of North America Publishers Association of the WEst Colorado Library Association Last Note Singers Cottonwood the music group. Edward Ormondroyd and George Garrett gave blurbs to our books </span></div>
square bigger and have not learned how yet except to type in words, poetry, prose, language, steinbeck type stuff, No Child Left Behind, that's my motto. Naked books, with no girls gone wild, no bikini models no first amendment problems. no amateur index ladies or lightspeed girls or coeds or women. Just books about electricity, like Tesla or Edison might write, books about Algebra like Aristotle might write. Calculus books like Garfield the cat might write. Cat stuff, feline stuff, study guide type raw material. Books for girls who like to read and boys who know how to. Teach yourself math, science, fishing, in clear water or clearwater economics creative writing and poetry. Sing a song. Release a CD Write a book and self publish it. Groups we like include Book Organizations of Colorado, Colorado Independent Publishers Association CIPA Colorado Authors League Rocky Mountain Fiction Wri</span><span class="style11">ters Pikes Peak Writers Aspen Writers Mountains and Plains Booksellers Independent Booksellers SPAN Small Press Association of North America Publishers Association of the WEst Colorado Library Association Last Note Singers Cottonwood the music group. Jill Wagner is the actress in the Mercury Mariner TV commercial. Jill Wagner will become a big star and people will google her. That's Jill Wagner, mercuryvehicles.com, TV actress. She's in Vancouver filming a movie.Edward Ormondroyd and George Garrett gave blurbs to our books </span></div>