Writing: What Can I Offer?

I began writing while in college. There was a reason that I did not start writing before that. I did not feel like I had anything to offer the world in my writing. Let me show you my train of thought.

J. K. Rowling

George R. R. Martin

Stephen King

Poe. Tolkien. Patterson. Grisham.

What could I offer that these other authors couldn’t? Even if you ignore the big authors, it gets no better. You’ve got hundreds of amazing authors in all genres out there, pegging their landmarks into the industry, from Christian Fiction to Mystery and Young Adult to Erotica. With these thousands of huge books, what could I, a kid with an affinity for math and music and a wild imagination, offer?

It was that thought that kept me out of writing for so long. I overcame that, and now write because of my love for writing, to the exclusion of all else. Even though my motivation is now different, I still managed to overcome that dark train of thought.

I found that there is one thing that I can offer through my writing that C.S. Lewis, for example, could not. Orwell and Shakespeare couldn’t even put their fingers on it, and neither could any of the other authors I’ve mentioned. In fact, nobody but me can put this element into my stories.

I can put myself into it.

I know that sounds sappy and childish, but it is simply true. My characters, my worlds, and my stories all come from my experiences and thoughts. Through writing, I lay my mind bare before the reader, allowing them to experience one of my many conflicts through my own point of view.

One character might be written as the part of me that wants to leave a mark on the world, and is willing to discard human relationships to do it. Another might be defined by the mistakes of his past, by the opportunities he wishes he had taken. I’ve got a lot of those to draw from.

While these people are relatable thanks to these universal issues, the way that they deal with their problems or interface with each other comes from me.

Here’s the way it works: In my mind is a blender in which I put my life and everything I have read, seen, heard, and felt. It returns a unique flavor, labeled with my name. If you read my work, you’re taking in the raw flavor of Kyle Adams, with all of the good and bad that comes with that. It’s a new flavor, and it may not be to your taste. On the other hand, it might draw you in and let you see a conflict in a way that entices you.

Everybody has their own stories to write, live, or tell. Those stories are going to be filled with their flavor. Some might like it, and some might not. If you don’t blend it well, the flavor might be bad. But the flavor of an author is something that they will always have. They just need to learn how to cook with it.

See you around!

-Kyle Adams