Pens, Papers, & Penchants: 5 Reasons to Write

This week we're celebrating the release of...what's that? No new releases this week? I have to stick to the blog topic?

~clutches chest~

Allllllllrighty then, to the topic at hand:

The Optimist's Top 5 Reason to Write

1. Thinning the Pen Population: First there were five: black, sleek, gel-grips fresh from a childproof pack. Then there were fifty. Now five hundred. Rainbows. Logos. Glow in the dark. Ink pens. Gel pens. Jesus, is that a permanent marker? Crusty nibs. Cracked cases. Jet-propelled click-tops.

Your kingdom for one. pen. that writes.

Only way to find Excalibur is to scribble something on a scrap, a permission slip, or last week's errand list. It starts as a swirl, then becomes a statement. By the time you find that one magical still-working pen, you have a hook and 250 words.

Six dead pens are in the trash.  494 more to go.

2. Rejiggering Journals: Once people learned you are a writer, the go-to gift became...journals. Blank ones. Lined ones. Graph paper. Jacquard and Ikat. THG, HP, and GoT. Celtic knots, Pentagrams, the Triquetra, and Yggdrasil.  Leather. Paper. GrandMa's quilt.

They're taking over your TBR shelves. 

It is wonderful to be loved and encouraged. A gift given with good intentions is enough to warm your heart when your coffee turns tepid. Yes, it's the 21st century and 95% of your writing happens on some sort of computer. Gods help you if an unused journal is discovered. Gods help you if a used journal is discovered. Really, no matter what, you're getting more journals.

Good thing you have a lot of pens.

3. Practicing Peculiar Penchants: People watching or staring into the ether? Distracted by a daydream or eavesdropping on nearby nattering? Plotting a character arc or the or the demise of unwanted company? Swatting at invisible insects or staging a fight scene? Grab a journal and a few pens. Signal the world: yes, you are busy. No, you do not need to be committed. You are working.

You are writing.

4. Making Crazy Compelling: For every conversation that veered to the weird. For every odd obsession you researched in minute detail. For every if:then that stretched your imagination past impossible into the realms of plausible. It all has an opportunity to make sense in the world you create. You will allow yourself to hate it and love it. It will be glorious and hellish. You will care about your characters more than your word-count; then you care about net gains and losses of words, themes, and tangents. You will cheer and weep, and feel powerful for evoking both.

YOU ARE A WRITER.

5. Finding Your Tribe: When you write and make whatever it is public, you're sending up a flare. Some people will find their way to you. Some of those people will be the sort who like your style, your vibe, your weird. Some of those people will become your fans, championing you through the chaos of millions. Some of those people will become your friends.

Some of those people will give you a pen, a journal, and a reason to be as crazy as your dreams demand.