Write what haunts you!

People always ask me questions on writing. Usually they ask how I got started in writing. And I always tell them I don't remember ever NOT writing. Aspiring authors ask me how did I know WHAT to write. The best advice I could give anyone who feels drawn to write? Write what is in your heart! Write what haunts you...what keeps you up at night. Write what won't let go of you...what you keep coming back to. You know what that is. Write what plays out in your mind like a movie. Any of these...or all of these. THAT is what you need to write. Don't worry about what to do with it afterward...write for yourself first. Eventually you'll know what to do next. When I wrote Whale Song I wanted people to feel something...anything. I wanted readers to laugh, remember, get angry, feel shocked, cry, ache...but most of all I wanted people to think about it long after they put the book down. I believe that if I want my readers to feel these emotions, then I must experience them myself...when I'm writing the story. Not many people know it, but I cried when I finished the last chapter of Whale Song. That story tugged at my thoughts for over 2 years before I even wrote a word of it. Sometimes it's hard to 'give in' to that tug...but you would be denying yourself not to. When you're ready to start...give in completely to the 'writing' of IT. IT (whatever that may be) will almost write itself. Enjoy the journey--for every story is a magical trek into the unknown, into realms of fantasy, romance, horror, crime, suspense...(the list goes on.) Write what you feel. Write what you know and research what you don't. Above all, writers write. It's in our blood. ~Cheryl