Why I Write...
Where Did It Start?
I frequently admit that I have written since I was a very young girl. It started with Barbie dolls, believe it or not.
My older sister and I are a little under two years apart, which really made things interesting sharing a bedroom with her for much of our childhood. One of the things we (normally) could do together without fighting was play with our barbies. We'd make up stories together on the spot, each of us contributing and twisting the plot. I think that was where I first learned the excitement and joy that came of telling a story. Why Do You Write?
There's an Isaac Asimov quote that fits me like an old pair of jeans. "I write for the same reason I breathe --because if I didn't, I would die." And I'm pretty sure it's true. If I could not write, I do not doubt it would kill me.
The thing about writing is that it is one of the purest forms of expression I know. No matter how I dance around it, little pieces of me are hidden in every piece I've ever composed. Some of them are easy to spot, others are more deeply buried, but it rings true for every writer, as far as I know. I don't know how to write and not give myself away, and I doubt anyone else does, either. Still, if I were to answer this question in the truest, purest form I can, I suppose I write because I love to read. I'm an absolutely voracious reader, with omnivore tendencies. I don't just love fantasy or paranormal, sci-fi or horror or romance, thrillers or chick-lit or gay --I love all of them and more. World-building, in all it's delicate tedium and beatific glory, fascinates me and so it is no wonder that I spend quite a bit of time on developing my own universes in such fashions. When I write, I want to sweep my reader off their feet and show them worlds they've never dreamed of experiencing alone. Yet I do not write from them: I write for me. After all, is is “better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self” (Cyril Connolly). Why LGBT Fiction?
Why not LGBT fiction?
A lot of "mainstream" literature stays away from these topics or treat them as taboo --even in a world where nothing is quite taboo any more. I literally cheer on all of those hard-working writers who slip in a character or two with a different sexuality or sexual identity. And that group of authors is growing (thank heavens!). It's down-right hard growing up as a LGBT youth, because there are those out there who view anything different as dangerous. I've always been the kind of girl who loved those that others spit on (sometimes literally), so I have a lot of friends who identify that way. I chose LGBT fiction because it is personal. I am passionate about raising awareness and helping those who feel like strangers in a strange land --or strangers in their own bodies-- feel a little more welcome in this world. Ever yours,
Lulu Have some questions of your own for Lucretia? Submit your question here and she'll get back to you with an answer as soon as she can!
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