You end up writing when...

You end up writing when the need to write is

stronger than the fear of rejection,

when curiosity and your desire to discover

something new about yourself and the world--

and what you think and feel about it all--

is stronger than your fear of failure.

You end up writing when your voice, 

telling you that you must write, 

is stronger than all the voices in your head 

telling you to stop.

You end up writing when you cannot

not write, when it feels as essential to 

staying alive as breathing, and when writing each 

word, your hand shaping each letter on the page, 

is as vital and life-affirming as 

taking a breath.

Desire As Catalyst

Can you accept where you are?

Is it possible not to want anything more than what you have?

Is not wanting even possible?

Don't our desires define us as human?

These very desires cause such pain and frustration when we want something (or someone) and can't get what we want.

That's why desire (and the obstacles that stand in the way of fulfilling that desire) serves as catalyst for all our stories.

Without desire--without wanting--and without struggling for what we want, we would have no stories.

If our characters are happy, if they are content, then they have no problem to resolve, no reason to struggle.

Stories are about a character struggling for what he or she wants. They are about resolution-- about resolving pain, resolving frustration, resolving crises.

They are about resolving (or failing to resolve) desire.

If you're struggling to find your story, try looking in the gap between what your character wants and what he or she can't (or doesn't yet) possess.

Once you're able to define your character's desire, you'll discover the catalyst for your story.

For more about desire as catalyst, visit:
http://www.writeafterthis.org/articles/how-to-tell-a-story/
http://haleywhitehall.wordpress.com/2011/05/04/sources-for-character-motivation-%C2%AB-film-escape/
http://drake.marin.k12.ca.us/staff/doherty/3actstory.htm
http://www.ehow.com/how_8147147_create-book-character.html
http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/2005/01/novel-i-imagine.html