Why I Wrote "The Department of Lost and Found"

Lately, I've been wrestling with the question of why I write.  I've been fortunate enough to receive a bevy of emails from people who have read The Department of Lost and Found and with whom it resonated enough that they actually took the time to track me down online and send me a few kind words. Some of these people have been touched by cancer, others are cancer survivors themselves. And their notes mean EVERYTHING to me. I mean, seriously. Here I am, just someone who had the misfortune of being tangentially touched by cancer, not even someone who battled it herself - so for these survivors to reach out to me and say, "Hey, thank you for writing my story," or "Thank you for portraying a kick-ass woman who is strong enough to bring fury on the disease," or "Thank you for helping me to heal when cancer took my mother," well, seriously, it's truly hard to express the emotions that these notes drum up for me.

All of which has gotten me thinking. I wrote The Department as a way to cope with my own grief. The truth of the matter is, that I'm not sure why else I wrote it. I guess, now that it's out there in the world, part of me must have written it as a way to connect with others, to share this story and hope that it resonates with them. Is this why I write? Is this why we pick up books? I guess so.

It would be easy for me to say that I write because I'm good at it. But I'm good at a lot of things - I don't expect to be paid for them. I'm an excellent Precor-er, that doesn't mean that I think I should be a professional aerobics instructor! (I'm stretching my point, but I think you get it.) I mean, I do write partially because I'm good at it, but there has to be something more than that. I suspect that some authors write because they want the world to see how brilliant they are...they should only wait until they get their first scathing review or discover that the world doesn't think they are as brilliant as they anticipated. Others write because "it's their calling." But what does that really mean? (And I'm being serious in asking this.) Is it your calling to share your stories or to entertain people or to be able to make money while working in your pajamas? Which is it?

I think that I've finally realized that for me, as I said above, it's about being able to connect with people. I don't kid myself that my work will win huge prizes or land on the top of the NY Times list...but I guess that via the emails I've gotten, I now understand that I write because my story is also someone else's, and in reading my book, that other person is helped/entertained/amused/soothed.   

All of this is a long-winded way to say thanks for having me here on Gather – authors can live isolated existences, alone in their offices with only the company of their keyboards.  So I'm thrilled to be here, out in the world (virtual as it may be!), and sharing my experience and my book with you.

When Life Takes a Wrong Turn, You Can Find Your Way Back. The Department of Lost & Found is a featured book in Fictions Readers, a group to discuss contemporary women's fiction, books, women's issues and much more. Click here to join the group.

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