Beverly Cleary: "Write It"

 

"If you don't see the book you want on the shelf, write it."

~Beverly Cleary

    The fact that we writers can do this is so awesome; it's almost like a superpower! Knowing that one can think of a story that they'd want to read, and being able to produce it--the thought is both mind-bending and exciting, ripe with possibilities.
    Though it takes a while to produce this story (to plan, plot, research, type it all up, then re-write parts or even the whole thing, and then doing more revisions, etc.), even the long process is fun because it builds up one's knowledge of the story and characters. It helps the setting develop in one's mind, and the history of the story can kind of seem longer. Plus, investing so much time and effort into the story makes it even more precious, and that can give a writer pressed for time more determination to finish the work.
    One could imagine that some really great novels have come from moments where a writer suddenly thought, "I want to read a novel with elements of such-and-such," and decided to write that story. Because of moments like that, writers have not only produced a nice story to read themselves, but something that others can enjoy as well.
    Is the story you've written or are writing now one that you wanted to find on a bookshelf? Do you know of anyone who wrote the kind of story they couldn't find anywhere else? :)