As writers we believe that our penchant for toying with words and phrases is bestowed upon us by some mythical Writer Muse, a lovely creature in a flowing ivory gown and gossamer wings who carries around a big book of really good ideas. Something that resembles this right here:
And while she (or he - because I want mine to look like Zac Ephron) is certainly helpful, the truth is we write because it's in our genes. Most people with the writer-bug can examine their family tree and find that dear old dad or grandma had it too. Maybe they just didn't take it to task. Trust me when I say that sometimes, most times, life gets in the way. Making a living from this creative craft is not always easy. So we supplement our passion with day jobs and other less entertaining modes of occupation. That said, perhaps your mom kept a journal as a way of honoring her passion for the written word, since she was too busy with raising a bunch of kids to become an author. And your father was tied up with earning the money that fed that same crew. It happens. More than you realize.
But, I digress. (Don't I always?) The point isn't really nature versus nurture. It isn't about the starving, poorly compensated artist in us all. It's to acknowledge that no man is a genetic island. We are who we are because we inherited our traits, our eye color, our height, our sense of humor and our talents from our parents, the blocks to our chips.
And if all goes according to plan, the chips we make will take their dynamic DNA and pass it on to their chips and so on and so on.
So what of those Muses, you ask? They stand ready to assist, to adorn the gifts already in place. Bless their hearts.
P.S. - Okay, we have another winner in our YA Hop. But, do not run away. Do not fret. There's another contest running right now on my FB page, where we're playing Desert Island. Join us, won't you? You just might win. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wishless/232063146839096
And while she (or he - because I want mine to look like Zac Ephron) is certainly helpful, the truth is we write because it's in our genes. Most people with the writer-bug can examine their family tree and find that dear old dad or grandma had it too. Maybe they just didn't take it to task. Trust me when I say that sometimes, most times, life gets in the way. Making a living from this creative craft is not always easy. So we supplement our passion with day jobs and other less entertaining modes of occupation. That said, perhaps your mom kept a journal as a way of honoring her passion for the written word, since she was too busy with raising a bunch of kids to become an author. And your father was tied up with earning the money that fed that same crew. It happens. More than you realize.
But, I digress. (Don't I always?) The point isn't really nature versus nurture. It isn't about the starving, poorly compensated artist in us all. It's to acknowledge that no man is a genetic island. We are who we are because we inherited our traits, our eye color, our height, our sense of humor and our talents from our parents, the blocks to our chips.
And if all goes according to plan, the chips we make will take their dynamic DNA and pass it on to their chips and so on and so on.
So what of those Muses, you ask? They stand ready to assist, to adorn the gifts already in place. Bless their hearts.
P.S. - Okay, we have another winner in our YA Hop. But, do not run away. Do not fret. There's another contest running right now on my FB page, where we're playing Desert Island. Join us, won't you? You just might win. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wishless/232063146839096
I know what you mean, Louise. My mother has always been a voracious reader, & she wrote for a newspaper. My sister & I followed in her writing footsteps, & it didn't hurt that as an English teacher, she drilled the basics of grammar into our heads from a young age.
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