ZOE STRACHAN
Compulsive Writing
As soon as I knew how to, I made things up and wrote them down. It comes from reading, and loving books. When you get a good one, a book’s better than anything else. Sometimes it’s entertainment, or learning, or excitement, or escapism. Nothing gets you out of your head like a book. It’s wonderful being exposed to so many ideas, having so many adventures, meeting so many people, the world all swirling around you. All in the comfort of your own home. The idea of children not being able to read or not having access to books horrifies me.
Real life intervenes though, and I went through a period of about five years without writing a word of fiction. It got so I wasn’t very happy, and I think in part it had something to do with not writing. There’s a lot of creative people out there who aren’t doing what they should be doing, and I’m sure they all feel pretty miserable. And it’s usually because they don’t have time to do anything but work, and can’t afford not to, so it’s a vicious circle. Leave it too long, and you’ll stop even rattling the chains.
Writing’s a compulsion too, once you get started, you just can’t help it. It’s true that occasionally it’s a real pain in the arse, when you’re working to a deadline and desperately want to get out and live life a bit rather than staying in, hunched over your computer. But then there are other times, usually very late at night for me, when it’s the best thing in the world, the most fun you could ever have. Maybe I should get out more, but nothing beats it when you’re on a roll, and you’re typing away like crazy, so that when you finally stop your hands are numb. Like all your thoughts and ideas are flowing straight from your brain down your arms and through your fingers onto the page. I love it.
I don’t think much about people actually reading what I write, because I still find that a bit freaky. All the same, I hope they do.
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