Well, it could you know.

How many times have you, as a writer thought about moving to a place you researched so thoroughly for  a story setting?

Admit it, you found yourself scrolling through hours of available properties in Kauai after having your hero chase the villain to Hawaii. You imagined yourself lying on the sand penning the second book in the series, becoming so involved in the Hawaiian culture that you even began to regret those years spent as a mainlander.

Okay, maybe you didn’t lose yourself in a locale, maybe it was the protagonist’s hobby. Golf, tennis, yoga, weightlifting? Hopefully it wasn’t excessive bourbon drinking at midday, horse racing or cigarettes, though a little of each bad habit always helps to understand one’s character’s vices.

Many of us write to experience other opinions, alternative lives, different viewpoints. It’s taking the idea of “What If?” to heart. Truly. All of those dream inspired moments coming to life on the page without anyone judging or correcting. It’s pretty powerful. Other folks write to escape their reality, to be the one throwing the party, not the one stuck at home on a Friday night with a laptop and a notebook full of dreams.

 “You get ideas from daydreaming. You get ideas from being bored. You get ideas all the time. The only difference between writers and other people is we notice when we’re doing it.“

“My teacher Tom Spanbauer, the man who got me started writing in his workshop, used to say: ‘Writers write because they weren’t invited to a party.’ That always struck so true, and people always nod their heads when they hear that. Especially writers.“

Ask yourself today: Why do you write? How has your life changed since you started to write? Which character in your arsenal is most unlike you? Where did that come from?