We read and write to make connections. C.S. Lewis said, “We read to know we are not alone.” This is one of my favorite quotes. I'd like to add that we also write to know we are not alone and to discover ourselves. In a book I love the moment when I realize the character/author feels exactly like I do or observes the world in the same way. I think this happens because reading and writing are private experiences that are shared. I might write something that no one knows about me and that will connect with the reader. I was nervous to have my relatives read, "A Kiss and a Curse," because there are some very personal ideas in the novel. It's almost absurd, because when the manuscript is published, it won't be private anymore.

9/3/2025 addition:
I did a search today for this C.S. Lewis quote, and he never said it. Anthony Hopkins who plays the role of C.S. Lewis in "Shadowlands," says the line in the movie. It was created by the screenwriter, William Nicholson.

I prefer revision to creating the first draft. But I can't revise a story I haven't created. I'm struggling with spitting out another draft of the Robbers' Rhyme story. It's almost like creating another first draft because I created a new outline and changed the plot. When creating the first draft I need a word goal each day so I don't second guess everything I write. Then when I revise I can look at it more constructively. Is revising also creating? Definitely. It's easier for me to mold something that already exists. Here's a quote I really like about creating.

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, a current Christian leader said, “The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before. Everyone can create. You don’t need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty. Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty…” (Ensign, Nov 2008, 117–20).

"Create"

​This weekend, I attended an SCBWI conference in Boise titled, "Literature Is My Utopia." I assisted in planning and arranging and then presented at the conference. It was awesome. Like Lin Oliver said, "SCBWI is my utopia." I love visiting with other writers. Association with all those great literary people helps me to take myself seriously as a professional writer. Lin Oliver also said that we are all pre-published if not already published. For the conference I created an information sheet on all the presenters. Since I gave a presentation on revision, I included my picture and a small bio. Originally my bio stated that I am on the path of publication for my YA novel, A Kiss and a Curse. I took that off because I didn't want to be too presumptious. But after the confidence boost from this weekend, I declare that I am on the path of publication and the end is near.