Go back. Way back. Back to the day you decided you were going to write a novel. Why did you make that promise to yourself? 

Did you think, “How hard can this be?”

Did you want to become famous? 

Did you covet J. K. Rowling’s lifestyle?

Did you want bragging rights?

BUZZ! Wrong answer. Though admittedly, I did tee you up here (wink).

Do you have a story to tell? Now this is the reason most authors embark on the journey. But to be fair, there’s a little“yes” to the above questions in all of us. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be a best-selling author, right? But that shouldn’t be the reason why you embarked on writing your book. It shouldn’t be what brings you here.

You should be here because you have a story to tell. That’s your “why?” When you start with your why—a phrase made infamous by author Simon Sinek, you have the foundation for an enjoyable author’s journey.

Here are a few reasons why my author friends were inspired to write their books:

The reason I wrote my book(s) is quite simple—my grandkids.  They would ask me on many occasions, “What where you like as a kid, Grandpa?”  Then one day we were visiting with my mom and the grandkids asked her to tell them what grandpa was like as a kid.  Because I did not have many stories of my parents when they were young, I decided that I wanted my grandkids to know my stories and be able to tell their kids about grandpa. So, I wrote the books.  In the first book about growing up in Ilion, I added my quote and it’s one I often think about:  ‘A town of a by-gone era, a town steeped in history, now but a memory for those that walked it.’  ~ Kevin Hall, author of Ilion My Childhood, My Memories – Growing Up in a By-Gone Era and My Rosemount Mn. Memories – Teenage Years in My Shoes.

Having lost years of my life to workaholism, I felt compelled to write Kick Ass and Have a Life to spare others that fate. Due to my workaholism, I lost fifteen years of my life, including my daughter’s childhood and my marriage. I can never regain the time lost, but sharing my solutions with others is rewarding and my passion. By learning time management skills and changing the narrative of overworking, I strive to inspire others to develop successful careers and fulfilling personal lives. Kick Ass and Have a Life provides eight powerful time management tools and solutions for living an extraordinary life. ~ Paula Marie’s, Published author of Kick Ass and Have a Life, Speaker, Entrepreneur 

The “Why” for me is simply to spread love. Children in today’s world see too much hatred and negativity so I write children’s books with themes of compassion and love to show them a better way. They grow up in a world that glamorizes the racism and negativity on social media, I show them why those are fraudulent paths to follow and offer them better options. ~ Jon E. Adams, Author of a positive, uplifting, and character-building children’s books.

I wanted to write my book to help non-disabled people look at people like me differently. For those who are still struggling to communicate, it’s not the disabled that need to change their perspectives; it’s the people who interact with them. If we want to see the world and other people differently, we have to change our own hearts first. – Nate Trainor, author of Nate’s Triumph: Presuming Competence and the Fight for Inclusion.

To be clear, not everyone needs to write a novel, a short story, business book, or screenplay to call themselves an author. Maybe you want to author your life in a blog or a journal or write a poem that evokes deep emotional response. There are plenty of routes you can take. But you need to start with why you’re wanting to tell your story—fiction or not.

Then you need to believe deep in your core that there is no one else that can tell this story quite like you. That was my why. 

A voracious reader and lifelong storyteller, I’ve had stories rumbling around in my brain for as long as I can remember. Couple this with my love for writing, I guess you could say I’m here because of sweat equity and a deep-seated passion to tell stories that I believe in and I love. When you write what you love then you never work a day in your life. Though I modified this wonderful pearl of wisdom, I believe it’s true. 

Author’s Journey to Publishing is a blog by Kimberly Charleston that, like my books, brings readers and fellow authors along on the journey. And like my books, these blogs are peppered with a little humor, heat, and heart. 

Hey, Writing Detectives: Did you find the “reversed” anaphora rhetorical device within this blog? Comment below…