Why I Write

I just finished my character sketches and sent them to my novel professor (he teaches novel, but you might say he is a novel person, too). He might send them back and say, "Work on this," or "What does this mean?" or perhaps, "This doesn't make sense," and then I'd have to edit, modify, and make them even better. But overall, I'm done. And that makes me really happy and excited.

There's just something about creating characters, people on paper, that is terribly exciting. Especially when the task is complete. I thought I knew these people before I filled in tiny and insignificant details (along with the overriding, really important ones), and now that I have put them together as much as I can think, I feel like they are real (well, as real as fiction can be; I'm not a total loon). They are real, and they are important. They have hopes and dreams just like me and fears and shortcomings just like me.

I have also started on my novel. After my last Writer's Block meeting, I was so pumped from reading the first chapter to my friends and getting feedback that I wrote the entire second chapter in one night. I wanted to tell this story.

I now have three chapters, and today I hope to work on more. The more I know about my characters and their setting, the more excited I get to not only tell others what happens, but also to find out myself. I want to know more about these people. I think a novel writer (someone who writes novels, but may also be a novel person) has to care about the characters and want to know them better if he is to finish telling their story. If the writer doesn't find the people interesting, readers aren't likely to, either.

Something I like so much about writing fictional characters and breathing life into them, is just that. As God made man and breathed life into his body, I reflect that ability for creation and love of life. Now, I don't actually breathe on the pages and people pop out where I can touch them, but I can make them seem like real, relatable people to myself and to my readers. I can orchestrate their lives so that they are prepared for the trials they face, similar to the way God directs the universe and grants people the skills and tools they need to handle the dificulties in their real lives. (One big difference for which I am very grateful: God doesn't need a second draft!) Thinking like a writer has actually helped me see how God has been active in my own life.

When I write, I worship. I see what I can do to get the feel and idea of people and lives, and it's okay. But it points me to what God has done and what He is doing and what He will do, and that is perfect, just as He is perfect.

For Joel and Jon

For Joel and Jon.
I'm finally answering the question, why do I like Hawai`i! Ye-Ah!

Okay, I like Hawai`i. I have for years. I like Oklahoma, too. For longer than I've like Hawai`i (a place I've never been). But there's something about Hawai`i that draws me to it, and someday, I hope to at least visit for a while.

Climate is a big deal. The weather is relatively stable (unless a monsoon or something is coming), and at right about the ideal temperature for me. I like to be warm, I don't like to be cold. I like to be comfortable in shorts indoors, but often am not thanks to overworked air conditioners. I also like sleeveless shirts because they're so comfortable, but again, often need a jacket indoors due to air conditioners. So, I think I'd really like the weather.

Location is handy because it's still one of the 50 states, so I wouldn't exactly need a passport.

And because it's one of the 50 states (my home country), yet so different from the rest of them, I'm interested in it. The peoples who have come through and settled there, the mixture of cultures, the mix of languages. These are things I think would be fun and worthwhile to learn about. Plus I love the way Hawaiian sounds and repeats, and yes, I like hula.

The ocean is alluring, and Hawai`i is there. It is special to me because it is a grand assortment of things I like. Many times people have told me that I wouldn't really enjoy certain things that I thought I would like. When I got the chance to find out, more often than not, they were wrong.

I like Hawai`i and I haven't even stepped foot on an ocean beach. I like Hawai`i and I've never smelled gulf water. I like Hawai`i and I've never even been on an airborne plane.
I like Hawai`i, and someday I'd like to visit.