I Write Because…
Writing 101 January Writing Competition
I Write Because…
Writing 101 January Writing Competition
When the Deathly Hallows was set to be released, I was sixteen years old. The local Hastings Entertainment store was throwing a midnight release, and, as someone who read books 1–6 in one weekend, I so badly wanted to go.
When I asked my mom if I could go, she immediately told me no and that I could go in the morning. Even when I told her the book would be sold by the morning, she didn’t change her mind because she didn’t want me to drive across town at midnight on my own.
I stayed up in my room, upset I couldn’t go when all I wanted was to buy the book and read it when my dad popped his head into my room at 11:30 pm.
“Get dressed,” he said. “I’ll take you to get the book.”
I stood in line thirty minutes later, clutching my copy of the Deathly Hallows, with my dad tolerating the excitement of a whole bunch of Harry Potter fans. I couldn’t stop thinking, “This is what I want to do. I want to write books that make people temporarily forget whatever is going on in their lives. This is why I want to write.”
I think about my sixteen-year-old self as a self-published romance author sixteen years later. No one knew at the time I had been raped a few months before the release of the Deathly Hallows, and that writing and reading had become the only way I could cope with the trauma. I wanted to write stories to help other survivors feel like they have a place to find temporary reprieve in love and magic.
I had known for a long time since I could read and write that I wanted to be an author. I had never considered pursuing a career as an author until that night.
There’s another reason why I am writing about this particular memory and how it shaped me as an author.
My dad died on June 28th, 2021 — sixteen years from this memory. He was my biggest advocate to pursue a career in writing. He helped me go to college and earn a Bachelor of Arts in English with a concentration in Creative Writing. He bought me computer after computer when the keyboards would stop working because I wrote so much. He never questioned it when I asked for money to buy books and journals. One of the last things he bought me for my birthday was a printer to help with self-editing.
I made a promise to him that I wouldn’t stop writing because of the shock and grief of losing him. Three months after he died, I published One Night Won’t Hurt. I did it to test myself because I was unsure if I could ever write again, and afterward, it reaffirmed that I was on the right path.
I write because my dad believed in pursuing whatever made you happy.
And writing is the one place I find peace and happiness.
Thank you for taking the time to read! I appreciate all the support and encouragement Medium has given me during this emotionally difficult time.
Also, a huge shout out to Warren "Storyteller" Brown and his publication Writing101 (medium.com) for this inspiring and friendly writing competition. I hope all of you take the time to follow and join in!
https://ko-fi.com/hopecarter101
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