Why I Write Unapologetically

Anyone who knows me personally knows that I am a full-fledged Pinterest addict.  Pinterest is such a useful resource as a writer and I always find new thoughts or images that spur my creativity and induce inspiration.  (You can follow my personal Pinterest here  and my writing Pinterest here).  I never know what I will find on this fabulous website and that it the beauty of it.

One such quote that I found about a month ago really stuck with me: “You own everything that happened to you.  Tell your stories.  If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should’ve behaved better.” -unknown.

I was surprised that this quote in particular intrigued me as much as it did.  As a person, I want to please everyone and never throw anyone under the bus even if they deserve it.  I believed for a long time that I needed to write about what made people good and draw positive inspiration from my surroundings, but after finding this quote, I started to consider that maybe I didn’t have to always be nice to my characters.

We live in a world where people are good and bad and have every moral standing in between.  There is a richness about the living characters who breathe the same air and bask under the same sun as we do; the world’s greatest are sitting right next to us in class or driving behind us on the highway and their greatness comes from their weaknesses.  Some people are horrible and some people are saints and we should draw inspiration from both.

Writing is a case study in the finest sense because writing is based in observation.  We must know what the living characters next to us are like before we can create fictional characters on paper.  Look the to people who surround you for they will always be your greatest muse and be unapologetic in your portrayal of them.  If they wanted to be the heroes of the story, then they should’ve behaved better.

XO, Annie