Taking Off The Chains of Reality

I figured that this week I would step away from the gore and darkness that the world of The Onyx Tide offers, and speak on more of a personal tone.

"Why do you write?" A simple question that I was asked a few days ago.  My first instinct was to respond with a smile and say "because that's what I enjoy doing!" But for once in my life, I thought before I spoke. Trust me, when I finally put thought into my answers, I know that I am passionate about something.

So, why do I write? Obviously I enjoy doing it. No one does something willingly, on a regular basis, and for free if they don't enjoy doing it. So perhaps the better question would have been "What do you get out of writing?" Now that....that is a question that makes me lean back and sip on my icecap.

Writing isn't just a way of entertaining myself. It is a form of art that allows me to take off the chains of reality and go crazy. When I write, I am not bound by the laws of physics or by common sense. Sure those sort of things will make an appearance, but I am not forced to use them. I can have characters that can break bones with their minds. I can have a flesh eating disease that creates mutations to those who are lucky enough to survive it. When I write, I am in charge.

Of course, it is much more than just being creative and having freedom. It is also about creating life. Whenever I create a new character or a new setting, I am doing much more than writing words. I form family trees of these characters and history of these settings. In every job, people strive for the next level of perfection. I strive for making the most interesting characters that will be memorable. In the real world everyone has their part to play. This is no different for the Onyx Tide universe. From the smallest of characters to those who carry the plot upon their shoulders, it is my duty to make sure that it feels that they somehow add something. If they cannot add anything personality wise or plot wise, then they have no reason to be in the story. They get removed, deleted from the universe. If anyone stays behind that offers nothing, than it removes the feeling of being a real world.

"What do I get out of writing?" I get the ability to create worlds with a single cast of my finger across my keyboard.