Saturday, June 29, 2013

You Are a Writer, but Why Do You Write?

So many authors say they couldn't live without writing.  There are others who have so many stories in their head that they have to tell them.  There are multiple other reasons why people write, but those aren't my motivations for telling a story. I write because there are issues I'm concerned about, and I put those problems into fiction format.  It is a way to be heard without browbeating people with the subject matter.

My Odyssey Mysteries series has social issues in each book.  In my first book, The Catalyst, I address the problem of rape, abuse and alcohol.  This story explains why so many rape victims do not make reports against their rapists.  It's, also, about family and secrets.

In my second novel, Addiction, the issue is alcohol addiction with a serial killer thrown into the mix.  It's the villian's story as much as the hero and heroine's. This book gives you an idea of how alcohol can affect family members. It, also, helps you to understand the struggle the alcoholic fights every day. 

The third book, The Deceived, is about gambling addictions and the extremes some groups will go to in order to stop gaming.  It shows that some factions may be as bad as what they are fighting against.  Even good people can come under the influence of cult-like groups.

Even my novella, A Fool's Fool, is about those who have the power to harass and intimidate employees in the work place.

Why do you write?

Sandra K. Marshall, author at Eirelander Publishing
http://www.eirelander-publishing.com
http://www.sandramarshallblog.blogspot.com

14 comments:

  1. I write to get down on paper (or computer) stories that have come into my head unbidden! Who knew they were there!
    Also I am keen on (make that addicted to) genealogy, and my stories are my "fix" in that they follow one family and its offshoots through successive generations.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks, Anna. I have a niece and nephew who are doing our genealogy. You have some good reasons for writing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love books with social issues - enriches the plot. I write because I have to - it's like oxygen to me. Without it, I wouldn't survive. However, to make it interesting, I always try to get a social issue in my books.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks Sandra for sharing. I love that your books have a message to them. I write to bring enjoyment. For me, I'm about making connections and relationships with others. I want my books to allow that to happen, both for the characters and my readers.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I also write because if I don't, my head nearly explodes with stuff to be written down!

    I also explore social issues in my books, even when I don't PLAN to. In Kenzie's Teacher's Pet, domestic violence reared its ugly head. Elder Abuse showed up in Off The Clock.

    Book #9 of my Arbor U series deals with the gambling addiction, so I need to check out your books Sandy!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm one of those who simply had to write. Writing in series as I generally do allows me to follow a family through generations and that's usually full of issues. Here's to all writers, whyever we write.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good blog, Sandra. I write because it's in my blood. I have to write. Although I came late to the game, I've always loved reading and always dreamed of being a writer, but life got in the way. I don't think I can stop writing. I don't write about issues as you do so well. I write the kind of books I want to read. I love romance and crave books with happy endings.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yay, Tina, another social issue author.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Melissa, I'm sure your books have great relationships in them, and I can't wait to read your book.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Molly, the gambling addiction seems to be growing in our area.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks, Jean. I like to follow series with families.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Cara, I love happy endings, too. Thank you for your kind words about my books.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi Sandy,

    My first book was about an alcoholic, and the woman who loved him enough to help him. My short story that'll be out next month is about a fight between a MIL and a DIL over a child, and the man who tries to help. My first two contracted book in my SF Romance series are about adults dealing with abuse they suffered from as a child.

    I didn't plan on writing about those issues. They just came to me as I wrote. But I think they made the story deeper and richer.

    Janice~

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thanks for your comment, Janice. I think issues always make a story more meaningful.

    ReplyDelete