Exceptional Short essay about Why I Write. (499 words) Reeling In The Words by LisaMay      Why I Write Contest Winner

With the cat warm on my lap, I sit at the work table, immersed in a pool of light from the reading lamp. Night’s tranquility surrounds me, but my brain seethes with storyline scenarios and poetic possibilities. The fish are biting. **** Why do I write? To gain insight. In recollection, it’s a chance for topic inspection and self reflection or to cure dejection. There’s a rumour my baby-boomer humour with views and news just might amuse, or reveal insanity and depravity, sometimes gravity. Sad, mad, bad or glad… it’s what I want it to be. You see? You might not agree, but this is what motivates me: Variety. My description of this addiction can be a benediction or an affliction. That may sound like a contradiction, but anything goes when my brain overflows. Who knows what might come out? I’m like a water spout. I turn on the tap; I might spout crap. Is it a flash flood or a dribble? I nibble my pen, then begin to scribble. **** Writing is something I can do when I’m alone and not be lonely. I can feel part of the FanStory family, a community for sharing, where our common interests can create friendship and understanding. Writing fits hand-in-hand with reading, so the world of words and images is always enveloping me to leave impressions both fleeting and lasting. It challenges me to know more, to explore. My stories and poems become a record of my time on Earth. By writing about who I was, am now, and might be, I can transmit what I feel, what I think and how it affects me, either with honest intention or through fabrication of fiction by putting words into my characters’ mouths. I do it primarily for my own entertainment, or in the hope it will add something to another’s day. Other people’s opinions do matter to me, so I appreciate feedback, but I am not downcast if my writing doesn’t appeal to others. If I think I have done a good job with it, then writing it has satisfied my creative itch. And oh, how I love that creative itch! The challenge of wrangling ideas, crafting abstractions into imagery, is like painting with words. I can be heavy-handed and expressive, boldly vehement in protest, poignant about human connection and relationships, or gently toned with delicate phrases of impressionist romantic love. I can be awed with faith and gratitude, sing the praises of nature’s textured beauty or my cat’s quirkiness, or just be plain silly in limericks. It’s playtime in the fun-zone! Being a FanStory member has helped me develop a writing discipline, which has honed my skill and provided an awareness of other forms. I can enter contests to compare how other writers respond to the topic, and to appreciate their diverse international voices. FanStory has taught me how to fish. I reel in the words, not because I’m fishing for a compliment, but because it provides sustenance as a creative outlet. Writing Prompt Write a short essay explaining why you write. Up to 500 words Poems welcome too Why I Write Contest Winner Recognized Author Notes Author note: I've used a fishing metaphor because writing feels relevant to this saying which I have always thought very wise: ''If you give a man a fish, he will be hungry tomorrow. If you teach a man to fish, he will be richer forever.''

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