A writer in a writer’s forum posed the question: “To all the writers out there, be honest. Is writing really worth it? If yeah, how did you realise that you wanted to be a writer?”
I enjoyed writing from a very young age and have had teachers and one publisher tell me I have a ‘voice’. But I am also an artist, and the love of art was stronger, though I never made it a career.
I’ve tried my hand at writing books a number of times and did finally self-publish a non-fiction book.
I turned to fiction writing more seriously during the pandemic when I was building so many characters and scenes in my mind that I had to get them out of my head and onto paper. The ideas were never-ending, so I finally decided it was time to be serious about writing a book. 40,000 words into a contemporary romance, I hated my character so much that I started a historical romance instead, which is a genre I have always loved and have done an incredible amount of research on over the years.
I will continue until the characters are exhausted, which will be no time soon. I hope people read and enjoy my books. I am not doing it to become a best-selling author and make a lot of money. I want my characters to come alive and for their challenges to resonate with readers.
So far, it is really, really worth it. It is a labor of love.
DEE HARPER LEWIS 