My Writing Life

Across the world, millions of people write every day. Why do they do it? My Writing Life tells the humorous, poignant, and honest stories of why ten diverse men and women were compelled to write and how it changed their lives. Excerpt from "I Ought To Send That Bitch A Thank-You Note" by Molly Ringle "Revenge inspired me to start writing novels. Maybe I ought to call it justice, the need to write down the truth, make the world see the wrongs done to me. I mean, when you're twelve and some other girl crashes your party and dazzles the boy you like, you can't just sit back and take it. You have to do something. So I wrote a novel..." Excerpt from "Diary of a MAD Scribbler" by Greg Crites "This is a story of birth, rejection, first love, loss, death, rebirth, and monumental bullshit. Writing? I was never fond of that word. A misanthropic lawyer-turned politician is 'writing' when they scrawl out some harebrained legislation that will adversely affect ten percent of the population while earning themselves some quantity of brown-paper-bag-cash. I prefer 'storytelling'..." Excerpt from "What Punky Brewster, Kenny G and Tupac Have in Common" by Leslie DuBois "It's amazing how an event that happens when you're six can haunt you into adulthood. I'm twenty-eight-years-old and happily married with two beautiful children. I've been on national television and in magazines, but sometimes I still feel like a six-year-old in a sandbox." Excerpt from "Writing For Children" by Lindsay Thompson "My motivation to start writing was fueled by my complete failure at all things domestic. I hated caring for my children, I couldn't cook anything more complicated than a grilled cheese sandwich, and I wasn't pretty. In this day and age, many girls manage without these skills. They rely on their wit, determination, or talent to get by. That didn't work so well in my Mormon family..."