For any author who has wondered why we write, or felt like sometimes it's just too daunting to struggle on, you need to listen to the moving story by best-selling Fantasy author, Tracy Hickman, that he presented at the Superstars Writing Seminar. (The audio clip is in the middle of the page).

This story particularly resonated with me.

DragonLance is where the magic of writing really hit me. Like so many others, I followed those chronicles, I collected them, I devoured each and every word put on the page.

And I loved Sturm Brightblade. Loved him. I could not continue reading the series after this book.

Not because I was angry at the turn of events or the authors, but because I had such an emotional connection to the story that what happened next didn't matter anymore. My heart had broken. I couldn't go back to that fantsy world.

But Sturm, as he inspired the soldier, inspired me. I had written prior to this. But it was this series that made me put my heart into my writing. I wanted to affect readers the same way I had been affected.

If I have... If I've made you laugh, if I've made you cry, this is the biggest compliment a reader could ever give me. It's the biggest reward any fan could give his/her favorite author.

Our stories are fun for us to compose, but they are otherwise meaningless. It is for you, the reader, we write.

~Claire
www.claireashgrove.com

~Claire
www.claireashgrove.com
www.toristclaire.com