My latest manuscript The Ethiopian Affair is currently being proofed and hopefully will be published next month. Meanwhile, I've been taking a break from novel writing and working on three articles for publication. I already have my next novel's outline in my head, a sequel to Becoming Anya, and in addiiton want to write another historical novel but am concerned about the amount of research needed and the time it would take! It got me thinking about authors, why do we write? I'm sure there are almost as many answers as there are 'pens' out there, so I can only speak for myself.
Ever since being a child, I have been fascinated by words. Even today I have a small black book and write down any new word I find or one that I haven't used in a year! Having a fertile imagination also helps and blocks of time available. The Covid19 lockdown has never been an issue for me! I'm fortunate in that my wife is a painter and also needs her own time so we are well-matched. It's not for the money, although that is always welcome. I think essentially its three things for me: 1) the thrill and challenge of assembling words and ideas and binding them together into a finished product, book, or article 2) The satisfaction of creating something uniquely your own, and 3) the desire to share that pleasure with other people. In a very real sense, a book or a well-written article is in some ways a work of art and so should be shared. Works of art are not meant to be hidden in a closet but to be seen and made available to any person who is interested. That's why we have art galleries and museums, book stores and libraries.
