Writing
What does it take to be a writer? Is it just putting words to paper (or computer). Well, yes.

We want to argue that, those of us who write. But the truth is, the person writing their grocery list is a writer. Frank Peretti's a writer. So is my friend Matt Franklin, who writes for the sports page in our local paper. Is it all the same? No.

What does it take to be a writer of fiction? An ability to tell a story helps but isn't necessary. It may be necessary toward getting someone else to read what you've written, but a lot of people write only for themselves. Cool! They're writers, just as much as CS Lewis or Tolkien.

I read an article recently by a published author I had never heard of who was saying that to write to sell is the wrong motivation. That one should write what one wants to write--to tell the story one wants to tell. I agree.

But I'm also enough of a capitalist that I think if someone wants to write soup labels because soup labels are selling . . . go for it! Maybe what I think it most wrong with modern writing is that it's based on someone else telling the writer what to write. "Write to sell!" "Write so it won't sell!"

I guess if I were to throw my two cents in (too late, huh?), I would say, "Write what you want. If it sells, milk it for all it's worth! If it doesn't, keep writing. Keep telling the stories you think need to be told, even if you're just telling them to yourself!"