I Write Books

My name is Jered and I write books.

Now that you know THAT I write, I wanted to focus this inaugural post on the question of WHY I write. 

There is a short answer and a long answer. The short answer? I write because I have something to say. I write fiction because I have stories that need to be told. I write because I need to. Because if I don’t, and if I keep everything inside me to myself, it would make be selfish, irresponsible, and useless to humanity. Okay, that’s a little dramatic, but that’s the short answer.

The long answer? I’m glad you asked.

First of all, I write because I love stories. I’ve loved stories for as long as I can remember. Reading has always been an important aspect of my life. From a very early age, earlier than memory, reading sparked my imagination, and my imagination grew into a fire that’s never stopped burning. 

I didn’t have an imaginary friends, but I did have a Teddy Bear. When I played outside, much of my time was spent in other worlds. The adventures in my head never ended. I can’t remember a time in my life that I didn’t have stories in my head, whether re-living the ones I experienced in the pages of a book or projected on a screen, or weaving my own within the tapestry of my imagination.

I was that kid. The kid like so many other Narnians compelled to feel the back of every closet. You know, just in case. 

I was the kid who wasn’t good at sports. I didn’t even play with other kids, most recesses. I preferred pacing around trees, stepping on roots, and continuing the adventure in my head. I would even, almost subconsciously, make noises to soundtrack my mental scenes. My family called it “sound effects.”

“There goes Jered, doing sound effects again…”

My fate as a writer only made sense. But why books? Why take the time to put pen to paper? What makes stories worth writing? In my mind, if a story’s any good, it’s not just worth writing; it’s worth sharing.

If my stories are worth sharing, it’s my duty, my sacrifice, my joy to write them and get them to the people who need to read them. But do people need books? Do stories really need to be shared?

If you’re a reader, the answer is obvious. But what stories are worthwhile? What makes any story “worth sharing”? 

The best stories do one of two things, and sometimes both. And I suppose this also has to do with what the reader needs.

One, great stories provide escape. Countless people have found solace and comfort between the pages of a book. Even if only an entertaining distraction, that distraction is not a waste of time, but a needed refuge, a break from the problems of life.

Two, great stories incite action. These stories change people, whether encouraging readers to face their problems or advising them to change an attitude. They lead people to do things differently than they were doing them before.

I was told something several years ago—I don’t remember exactly who, or if he or she was referencing someone else. I was told that the goal of literature is to display the human condition. I agree to an extent. By seeing the truth of humanity on display, people can identify with each other’s struggles. Such stories connect disparate peoples with the invisible common thread of imperfect humanity. It’s a beautiful truth, and a goal for myself to make evident in everything I write. 

But my call is higher.

I am a Christian, and I believe in a real God, and I believe in the gospel of Jesus Christ. As a believer, my goal isn’t to slap everyone with the Bible or deny their perspectives or act like I’m better than everyone. The “human condition” I’m supposed to be displaying is something that most everyone agrees on—that is, the imperfection of humanity. But I also know that whatever you believe, you want to rise above the human condition. Above selfishness, above hurt, above division. Every religion identifies a problem to be solved.

That being said, I don’t want to just display a problem; I want to approach a solution. I want to add to the conversation of humanity with humility, and through story and dialogue lead people to be better than their “human condition” identifies them to be. I want to lead people to the solution that changed my life for the better.

So, while being true to the human condition, my goal is twofold: I want to give refuge to those needing escape and empowerment to those facing struggle.

In other words, I want to do what every good book does.