Me: Why I Write

My bio and pages explain what I write, so I thought I'd share why I write.

I've always loved writing stories, imagining myself as another person, even another species. As I grew older and my characters became more sophisticated, they started taking on lives of their own, and I would stay awake for hours watching, hearing even feeling them live out their tales. In part, I starting writing them down because it seemed somehow sinful to live so many vicarious lives. Then, as I grew more "sophisticated," I started to take delight in crafting their lives--giving them complications and psychological problems, searching out the skeletons in their closets, and pitting them against the forces of supernatural evil or human nastiness. It's made their stories far more fun to tell, though sometimes I still find myself daydreaming about the simple, easy times in their lives, the Sunday afternoons curled up with a book or at the keyboard when nothing I'd want to write about happens.

I started writing non-fiction, frankly, for some spending money. I started with what I knew--religion and parenting--and have expanded to interviews and science stories. I found that I really enjoyed researching about a topic and sharing that knowledge. In college, I had toyed with the idea of becoming a professor, but was not enthusiastic about totally immersing myself in a subject the way I thought a professor should. My professors seemed to Know It All in their area. Writing, however, is perfect for me. I can learn a reasonable amount about a given topic, write about it, and move on to whatever interests me or my editors next. I'm seldom bored. I also enjoy interviewing people, finding their unique voice, and sharing their lives. Interviewing the clergy for my columns in Montana Catholic is one of my favorite jobs.

For what I write, see my bio, books page, and links page.

Welcome

Welcome to FabianEclectic. I intend to make this blog live up to its name, so you'll find a variety of things: parenting, slices of life from my family, what I'm writing, cool sites I've seen, homeschooling tips, Christianity and Catholicism, pet peeves--even answers to your questions! (Be clean and not insulting, please.) The only criterion is that it interests me. Actually, I'm lying--bad me!--because I hope to have my dear, wonderful and brilliant husband, Rob, blog here, too, and may even let my kids make entries. You'll probably see the latest in space news, Alex's impossible creatures, or Steven's opinions on Yugioh cards. Amber may make a plea to save the wolves or present her modest pre-teen fashion tips, and who knows? Maybe five-year-old Liam will have something to say. I do promise they'll be interesting, at least to us. I can't be responsible for you. :) What I can do is have a set list of headers, so you'll know at a glance what to expect:

Homeschooling
Parenting
Tips
Writing
About Me (my writing, latest publication, etc. I'll not to bore you with my personal problems.)
Religion
Computers
Space
Kidstuff
Help (I'd like your input)
Reviews (Books, music, etc. Whatever interests me at the time.)