Creativity. It is a word that invokes a lot of different responses and brings out that part of each of us that wants to make something new, something great and unique. Whether your passion is writing, cooking, gardening or raising you children, being creative is something that keeps us energized and looking ahead.
At least, that’s my take on it.
Throughout my entire life I have dreamed about things, come up with ideas and made things that sometimes worked and sometimes didn’t. It has always been those times that I’ve been happiest.
I write because I think the printed word is one of the best ways to express my ideas, build worlds and have fun with characters and places I would never see in my real life. It is a means to explore my own imagination and share my ideas with others.
Don’t get me wrong, writing IS a lot of work. To get better I need to write all the time. I need to try new things and stretch my own writing muscles. It comes with costs. For example, I don’t watch much television anymore which is alright. I also don’t read as much as I used to which isn’t.
The other piece of the puzzle for me is where I’m trying to go. I could simply write for my own pleasure. For many that is enough. My goal is different from that. I write to share my work with others and, eventually, to make a living doing so.
Note that I didn’t say I was trying to become rich and famous. Were that unlikely event to occur I wouldn’t complain, but I will be very satisfied to simply get a regular cheque to cover the bills.
The benefits for me don’t simply end with getting my stories down either. I have been blessed by many new friends and peers who share my enthusiasm for the craft. Thanks to them I feel appreciated for my work. Thanks to them I have gone beyond my own safe places to try new things. Thanks to them I know I can make it and approach the sometimes onerous task of writing with excitement and expectation.
For all that and more, I thank all of you who have taken the time to read my work and let me know that my words have meaning. And for those of you who have shared something of yourselves with me, thank you so much. It have meant the world to me.
Personal Update
My first ever story sale is now available for your reading pleasure at ‘Sorcerous Signals‘ e-magazine and ‘Mystic Signals’ print magazine. The print version is supported the old fashioned way: by buying the issue. The e-magazine is donation based and works as follows: readers can get all the stories for free and leave tips/donations for the ones they like. This is also how the royalties are paid to the writers. If my story gets donations, I get paid for writing it and it might appear in the year end anthology.
So, what I would ask you is this: go to the site and read the stories. If you like one, drop a dollar in the tip jar. I’d love it if you left tips for me, but honestly, I only want you to do so if you enjoyed my story. By doing that you support a worthy publication and perhaps my writing efforts as well.
If you’re unable to leave a donation, you can also vote for your favorite story. (Hint, mine is titled: ‘Stolen Immortality’) 
Tags: carol hightshoe, creativity, irreverent muse, Michell Plested, mystic signals, sorcerous signals, stolen immortality
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