The joy of creating anything.

Rabid fans,

There are times in life when we feel...alive. Perhaps it is when you tango on Saturday night, or when you climb a 10,000 foot peak, or maybe when you secure a large business deal. Those are your moments, you are the King or Queen. Many people live for those moments, regardless of how few and far between they may come. Those are the moments when your heart races and sweat forms on your brow. Every sense is sharpened and you are in the zone. Everyone, at some point in their lives, has experienced those amazing moments.

Unfortunately, those highs do not last long. You can revisit the scene of the crime, if you will, but the thrill has probably faded. Over the years you develop a tolerance, and suddenly kissing your wife or bungee-jumping off that cliff isn't quite the experience that it was when you were younger. This happens to everyone and is the most natural thing in the world.

But there is a different kind of high.

This is the high when you do something wholesome, fulfilling. Perhaps you built a house? You bruised your hands and banged your knees, but you did something that will last. Maybe you are a nurse that tirelessly cares for very sick people, day in and day out. Sure, you are stressed out and maybe bitter, but you've done something real in this world. Something meaningful. That is what writing a book is for me.

When I write a novel, I go through a broad spectrum of emotions: Frustration, mental exhaustion, doubt, joy, anger, peace, love. Those emotions come and go over the months that I ply my craft, and eventually the job is done. When I can look at that finished manuscript and know it was worth my time, I am more contented than at any other time. I have created something. Something permanent.

This is not religious. Religious types will tell you that you have created something, mimicked what your own Creator has done, and that is where your deep sense of satisfaction is originating. Others will say that you have externalized, in a tangible way, your deep talents and skills. That is another theory. Others say to create anything is simply a joyful, fulfilling experience. Some will say that creating a human life is the greatest joy on Earth, and many, many people will agree with that.

Simply put, creating something is a deep, powerful experience that stays with you for the rest of your life. For me, when my life has ended and my story told, my books will remain. That small nugget of knowledge brings unparalleled joy to my work. My work. I am an author. A creator.

Best,

Mark