Why I Write

Is it for fame and fortune? If so, I would have quit a long time ago. I made more money working at the piddly though fulfilling jobs I had in the past. I've been a telephone operator, pre-school and day care center teacher, and owned and operated my own licensed residential facility. And yes, I wrote during the times I had those jobs too.

Even though I have nearly thirty books in print, many of them on Kindle, I'm not a well-known author. I do have a small following for both of my mystery series, but it's a long way from any kind of fame. When I receive my royalty checks, sometimes I have to laugh they are so small.

So, why do I do it?

I can't seem to help myself. When I've finished writing a new Deputy Tempe Crabtree mystery I begin wondering what's going to happen to her next. Are she and her preacher husband going to continue getting along, or will there be bumps in their marital travels as there have been in the past? Will her son, Blair, make an appearance, or will we just hear in passing what he's doing in his pursuit to become a firefighter? What horrendous murder will happen in the town of Bear Creek? Will everything be peaceful on the reservation? And the ideas starting popping into my head. The one that will be out this fall, Bears With Us, began from things that were happening with my grandson who is a police officer in a mountain community.

The same thing happens with the Rocky Bluff P.D. series. Right now I'm reading the latest to my critique group and I have no idea what will happen in this beach community next or which police officer and his family I'll be showcasing, but I know that I will start having ideas about what might be happening in that little town on the coast. In the book that will be out soon, Angel Lost, Officer Stacey Butler is planning her wedding with Detective Doug Milligan--and of course, all will not go well. The one I'm editing now will feature Officer Gordon Butler. He's become a popular character among my readers and I thought it was time he had a starring role.

In some ways, these people in my head are more real and distinct than my family members. I know how each of them think and will react in certain situations. How can I leave them?

So that's why I keep on writing.

If you are looking for my books, use my name for the Tempe books and F.M. Meredith (also my name) for the Rocky Bluff P.D. books.

Marilyn
http://fictionforyou.com

Comments

Maryannwrites said…
Marilyn, I enjoyed reading your post, and you are certainly not alone. There are many of us writing for the love of story and characters than for the monetary rewards or the fame. It would be great to be a household name, but I am happy working with the people who show up on the pages of my manuscripts.
Aww, I so get this. That's why I write, too. It's so important to do what we love, even if it doesn't give us worldly rewards.
Maryann and Michelle, so glad we have company in our writing world--since non-writers don't really understnad.
Carolyn J. Rose said…
I also love spending time with my characters in the settings I've created. And I relish the point at which they take over the telling of the tale, ordering me to get to my computer, put my fingers on the keyboard, and let them out to play.

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