Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Why I Bother

There's no way to express this completely and anyone who loves the printed word, who has read a passage from a book or a poem and then had to read it to someone so they could hear it as you did ...

Last night I started reading Getting Rid of Bradley. It's an old Jennifer Cruisie that I read years ago and didn't connect with. Yesterday I connected. My nine year old daughter was the recipient of a lot of "Listen to this..." and "omg, she didn't..."

Jennifer Cruisie is the reason I write. Getting Rid of Bradley is the reason I write. That might be a little untrue since I started writing many years ago for different reasons (think teenage angst and you'd have it in one) but the reason I keep trying to get it right is because of Jennifer Cruisie and Sarah Addison Allen and Loretta Chase and all the women who understand humor and heat and pacing and fun.

Sometimes I love a good angst fest. But usually when I read I'm most satisfied by those moments that tickle my funny bone while delighting my love of words. I couldn't give a crap if the plot has holes large enough to drive a Hummer through as long as I laugh out loud.

I write because words delight me. And words put together that cause laughter force me to want to write better. So I keep working on it because one day I want to write just like Jennifer Cruisie. And if I keep working on it, maybe one day I will.

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