by Johnathan Vredeveld

Created on: July 02, 2008   Last Updated: November 17, 2008

I wish I had a better reason for writing. One that was less selfish, perhaps a bit more "touching", but I don't. Capturing my thoughts and ideas and keeping them alive through the written word is a nice bonus, but it is not the reason I write.

I am, first and foremost, a fiction writer. I write non-fiction on occasion, but fiction is where I find my creativity blossoms most. I've been writing since I was five years old, but it was only a few years ago that I finally realized why I write.

Currently, I am stuck in that place between finding a new job, heading off to college, and helping to take care of baby brother, when not long ago, I was able to live a carefree life having fun with friends and doing what I felt like doing. With these developments in my life, I need a release to ensure that I'm not driven insane.

For the same length of time as I've been writing, I have also been an avid video game player and programmer. My reason for writing and my reason for playing and making video games are extremely similar, if not exactly the same. They are my release.

The reason I write. I write because, as much as I hate to admit it, I do not enjoy today's world as much as I think I should. Writing is my way of dealing with or escaping the frustration and boredom of life. Not only does it take my mind off of the things I have to deal with in the world, it allows me to instead delve into a different world entirely. Not necessarily a better world, but by far more exciting and entertaining.

I can witness an alien attack on the Earth, rather than watching the taxes attack my meager paycheck. I can experience the feeling of saving the entire world, whereas the most fulfilling thing in real life for me is when I go a day without my baby brother breaking something valuable or important. When I write, I am creating an entire world where I have full control, which is a nice change from the world I actually live in, in which I feel as though I have none. I am the boss, the manager. The president of the entire "company" that is my writing, the king of all worlds I have created.

Playing and creating video games is the same way. When I play them, I can live in another world for a small while without having to do the work of creating the world myself. When I make the games, I am able to share my world with others more easily than I can through writing. Despite the ease of video games, however, they simply do not hold a candle to the freedom of simple words.

At this point in time, I have well over six different fully formed worls orbiting in the galaxy of my mind. They all have their own vibrant characters, rich histories, grand adventures, and bright futures. And there's not a moment of boredom in a single one of them.

Granted, real life has its fair share of grandeur, where you feel as though you're on top. Marrying the person you love, watching your child grow. I have yet to experience those, and I'm sure they glow brighter than anything I could conjure up myself. But those moments are few and far between, whereas writing is one great experience after another. This is why I will continue to write as long as I have a decent control over the words floating about in my mind.

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