March 11, 2011

Why I Write


Today marks my last blog post for Read an eBook Week, and your last chance to leave a comment in order to be entered to win an e-copy of my romantic suspense, Not Without Risk. For some reason, today’s post has been harder than normal for me to write. I’ve written and re-written it at least four times. Each time I came up with a topic I realized either (A) I’d blogged about that topic not that long ago, or (B) it was a straight up promotional post.

Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against posts promoting my books, why would I? But today I wanted to offer something different. After all, if you want to know more about my books, you can always follow the links beneath my covers listed to the right. So instead I chose to tell you a little about myself and why I write.

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. I have notebooks filled with poems, story ideas, and partial chapters from as far back as age five. Yes, thanks to my older sister, I could read and write by age five. And I did. I read everything I could get my hands on, usually re-writing the story in my head as I went. If you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always answered something different depending on the day. I couldn’t make up my mind. Then I picked up my first romance novel. Suddenly I had my answer: “I want to get married, have children and write romances.”

As a young girl, I always had a story to tell. At times they were funny, other times scary, but they were always, and I mean always, happily-ever-after. You see, I’m a romantic—a die hard romantic. I believe in love, not just as a fundamental part of human relationships, but as a force that really can heal emotional scars. I truly believe there is someone for everyone—the person they are meant to find.

Their other half.

Their soul mate.

Don’t you?

As an author you’re always told to write what you read. I read contemporary romance and romantic suspense, and that’s what I write. There’s nothing I love more than taking two characters, helping them fall in love, foil the villain and live happily-ever-after. It’s a natural for me, a no-brainer if you will. I mean, what else would a die hard romantic write, if not romance?

So what about you? What did you want to be when you grew up? Are you doing it?



Shed your inhibitions. ~ Pursue your dreams.

12 comments:

Jennifer Jakes said...

Hi Sarah,
Well as you know, I've been lots of things. HA HA It seems a have a career bucketlist. But I love writing and the way you explained having a HEA and finding a soul mate...that could have been me talking.
I'm such a hopeless romantic and darn proud of it!!!
Great post!

Sarah Grimm said...

@Jennifer Jakes Holy cow, you've definitely been lots of things! Hopeless romantic is the best one, though, isn't it? :)

~Sarah

Terry Odell said...

I didn't start writing until I was well into my "maturity". I'd never envisioned myself as a writer, but once I started, I could no more stop writing than I could stop breathing. I think you have to be driven, because it's a tough business, full of downs with not so many ups.

Terry
Terry's Place
Romance with a Twist--of Mystery

Karen Michelle Nutt said...

Happy E-book Week!

I've always loved to write and wanted to write plays. I had binders filled with different the different plays I wrote. I even used a few in grade school and then few other in my drama class in high school. So much fun!

When I took a sign language class, I decided I would be a teacher for the deaf, but the college I went to didn't offer the classes. I ended up going into the dental field and I'm still there.

I guess it's better than what I told my mother I wanted to be when I was four. Do belly dancer get paid well? lol

Enjoyed the post. I love romantic stories about soul mates.

Linda Morris said...

Yep, I always wanted to be a writer, although the first kind of writer I became was a technical writer. Somehow, writing about tungsten inert gas welding or computer software didn't really figure into my childhood dreams so much! Romance writing was much more what I had in mind, so I'm delighted to finally be doing it.

Sarah Grimm said...

@Terry Odell Terry, I look at every book I complete as an up. Even if it never gets submitted or read, it's an accomplishment.

That said, we all wish for nothing but ups, don't we?

~Sarah

Sarah Grimm said...

@Karen Michelle Nutt I'm not sure how well belly dancers get paid, but I bet it's a fun job!

I love plays. I was raised listening to original soundtracks of Broadway musicals. To this day I can sing every song from The King and I and Evita (although not well).

~Sarah

Sarah Grimm said...

@Linda Morris, Romance writer Technical writer, huh? I can see where that wouldn't fit into your childhood plans. LOL

~Sarah

Savannah Chase said...

I wanted to be a music producer. Am I doing that now? Nope. But I still am doing something that I am in love with. I get to write.

Sarah Grimm said...

@Savannah Chase Over the past few weeks I've realized a lot of writers either are still or once played instruments. A whole lot of us had dreams of being in the music industry when we grew up. Interesting.

Being a writer is fantastic! Even when things are on the downswing, I can't think of anything else I'd rather do.

~Sarah

Jes said...

Enjoyed your post! Wanted to be a nurse growing up - ended up being an economist!

Jes

Sarah Grimm said...

@Jes Wow, Jes, that's quite a change!