{"id":7619,"date":"2021-08-29T22:47:36","date_gmt":"2021-08-30T04:47:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/?p=7619"},"modified":"2021-08-30T07:41:31","modified_gmt":"2021-08-30T13:41:31","slug":"why-do-you-write-what-you-write-openbook-blog-hop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/?p=7619","title":{"rendered":"Why Do You Write What You Write? #OpenBook Blog Hop"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">\n<div id=\"jsc_c_6hb\" class=\"ecm0bbzt hv4rvrfc ihqw7lf3 dati1w0a\" data-ad-comet-preview=\"message\" data-ad-preview=\"message\">\n<div class=\"j83agx80 cbu4d94t ew0dbk1b irj2b8pg\">\n<div class=\"qzhwtbm6 knvmm38d\">\n<div class=\"kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">\n<div class=\"kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q\">\n<div dir=\"auto\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/BlogHop6-2.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-2261 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/BlogHop6-2.jpg?resize=336%2C280&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"336\" height=\"280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/BlogHop6-2.jpg?w=336&amp;ssl=1 336w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/BlogHop6-2.jpg?resize=300%2C250&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/BlogHop6-2.jpg?resize=150%2C125&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 336px) 100vw, 336px\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\n<div class=\"kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q\">\n<div dir=\"auto\"><strong>August 30, 2021<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q\">\n<div dir=\"auto\"><strong>\u201cI write because I don\u2019t know what I think until I read what I say.\u201d \u2013 Flannery O\u2019Connor. Authors have many reasons to write. Why do you write what you write?<\/strong><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">I can&#8217;t claim to write for any earth-shaking reason. I&#8217;m not trying to impart any deep message. I write because there are these stories stuck in my brain and the only way to get them out is to put them on paper (or the computer screen, if you want to get picky.)<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">I&#8217;ve told this story before, but the first piece of fiction I wrote was in eighth grade as a class assignment. I&#8217;d written essays previously, but this was my first attempt at a made-up story, and was inspired by a book I&#8217;d read recently. My teacher wasn&#8217;t thrilled, and I only got a C for a grade. But something inside clicked.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"qzhwtbm6 knvmm38d\">\n<div class=\"kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">I didn&#8217;t write any more fiction for a long, long time. I wrote essays, articles for newsletters, and poetry\u2014lots of poetry, some good and some bad\u2014but no more stories. (Well, some poems were stories in a different form.) That was enough.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\n<p><span style=\"color: initial;\">Then I &#8216;lost&#8217; my poetry. I blame it on a right brain\/left brain situation. But I also &#8216;found&#8217; a story that wouldn&#8217;t become a poem, no matter how I looked at it. I tried writing it as a book and became addicted. Toni Morrison said, \u201cIf there&#8217;s a book that you want to read, but it hasn&#8217;t been written yet, then you must write it.\u201d That&#8217;s what I&#8217;m doing. Writing books I&#8217;d like to read.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\n<p><span style=\"color: initial;\">See, I <\/span><em style=\"color: initial;\">like<\/em><span style=\"color: initial;\"> my characters. Even the villains. I <\/span><em style=\"color: initial;\">like<\/em><span style=\"color: initial;\"> discovering their stories. Yes, I go back and read my own books, trying not to cringe at things I could have written better, but enjoying the story.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">I want other people to read my stories, too, and hopefully be entertained. That&#8217;s why I&#8217;m here and on other social media. Maybe, just maybe, someone will read a post and be inspired to give one of my books a shot.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Even if they don&#8217;t, I&#8217;ll keep writing. Jake Hennessey is bugging me. I&#8217;m trying to avoid him, but he&#8217;s gnawing at the back of my brain. So, I&#8217;ll get back to editing his story, in case someone besides me wants to read it.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Before I do that, I want to find out why the other authors on this hop write what they write. If you follow the links below, you can find out, too.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">As always, until next time, please stay safe.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">\n<div id=\"jsc_c_6hb\" class=\"ecm0bbzt hv4rvrfc ihqw7lf3 dati1w0a\" data-ad-comet-preview=\"message\" data-ad-preview=\"message\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"j83agx80 cbu4d94t ew0dbk1b irj2b8pg\">\n<div class=\"qzhwtbm6 knvmm38d\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">August 30, 2021<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u201cI write because I don\u2019t know what I think until I read what I say.\u201d \u2013 Flannery O\u2019Connor. Authors have many reasons to write. Why do you write what you write?<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q\">\n<div dir=\"auto\">Rules:<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">1. Link your blog to this hop.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">3. Promise to visit\/leave a comment on all participants&#8217; blogs.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">4. Tweet\/or share each person&#8217;s blog post. Use <a class=\"oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl q66pz984 gpro0wi8 b1v8xokw\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/hashtag\/openbook?__eep__=6&amp;__gid__=1558934451056071&amp;__cft__[0]=AZWC3lPghZpkn4DzS_-37S_PrEBeGCy_n8FFpjYrxp8NB1ZCUyH92rNSTU_G4qQPKc8t0g11coTSJzr01GJGGyXJTInnrYXEqDE5AITTPEH_5k0r5CX6ywlcPNzjf1XPqPIBpTUPaJdVEy-WM9l7Iy_h&amp;__tn__=*NK-R\">#OpenBook<\/a> when tweeting.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><!-- start InLinkz code -->\r\n<div class=\"inlinkz-widget\" data-uuid=\"f57384aa086c4eb68d758039fbe426fc\" style=\"width:100%;margin:30px 0;background-color:#eceff1;border-radius:7px;text-align:center;font-size:16px;font-family:'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif\">\r\n<div style=\"padding:8px;\"><p style=\"margin-bottom:15px;\">You are invited to the <strong>Inlinkz<\/strong> link party!<\/p>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/fresh.inlinkz.com\/p\/f57384aa086c4eb68d758039fbe426fc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" style=\"padding:5px 20px;background:#209cee;text-decoration:none;color:#efefef;border-radius:4px;\">Click here to enter<\/a><\/div><\/div>\r\n<span style=\"display: none;\"><script async=\"true\" src=\"https:\/\/fresh.inlinkz.com\/js\/widget\/load.js?id=a8b40ada7693d64e5923\"><\/script><\/span>\r\n<!-- end InLinkz code -->\r\n<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">\n<div id=\"jsc_c_6hb\" class=\"ecm0bbzt hv4rvrfc ihqw7lf3 dati1w0a\" data-ad-comet-preview=\"message\" data-ad-preview=\"message\">\n<div class=\"j83agx80 cbu4d94t ew0dbk1b irj2b8pg\">\n<div class=\"qzhwtbm6 knvmm38d\">\n<div class=\"o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q\">\n<div dir=\"auto\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/harmony_banner.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-4306\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/harmony_banner.jpg?resize=800%2C279&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"279\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/harmony_banner.jpg?w=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/harmony_banner.jpg?resize=300%2C105&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/harmony_banner.jpg?resize=768%2C268&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/harmony_banner.jpg?resize=150%2C52&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"jsc_c_6hc\" class=\"l9j0dhe7\">\n<div class=\"l9j0dhe7\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"b3i9ofy5 l9j0dhe7\">\n<div class=\"j83agx80 soycq5t1 ni8dbmo4 stjgntxs l9j0dhe7\">\n<div class=\"bp9cbjyn cwj9ozl2 j83agx80 cbu4d94t ni8dbmo4 stjgntxs l9j0dhe7 k4urcfbm\">\n<div>\n<div class=\"do00u71z ni8dbmo4 stjgntxs l9j0dhe7\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-background has-vivid-purple-background-color has-vivid-purple-color\"\/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; August 30, 2021 \u201cI write because I don\u2019t know what I think until I read what I say.\u201d \u2013 Flannery O\u2019Connor. Authors have many reasons to write. Why do you write what you write? &nbsp; I can&#8217;t claim to write for any earth-shaking reason. I&#8217;m not trying to impart&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/?p=7619\">Continue reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[9,5,48],"class_list":["post-7619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-open-book","tag-iamwriting","tag-openbook","tag-writing"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paJdTo-1YT","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7619"}],"version-history":[{"count":36,"href":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7619\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7673,"href":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7619\/revisions\/7673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pjmaclayne.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}