I wrote in my “To Readers” blog post what my mission statement is as a writer: “I write to inspire readers to cherish the most meaningful moments found in daily life.” Now, that may sound like I am only writing slice-of-life pieces that rely heavily on realism. However, I find that the only way to enhance one’s view of life is to romanticize it. Thanks to Ayn Rand, I now have a philosophical framework by which to live—Objectivism. I have a clear picture of the “ideal man” (which is what Rand had set out to define in her own work), and I’m looking to get the most out of an objective world now.
But in order to “taste life twice,” I find that I must write. Rand brought together the previous romantic and realism eras in art to create “romantic realism,” which can literally be seen as (ought/romantic) to (be/realism). But I can only write when there is a desperate passion, an urgent force behind the idea. And the urgency comes easily to an atheist who does not want to miss a single moment of life. As Rilke states: “A work of art is good if it has arisen out of necessity.” This can be felt by the reader too. My soul should be wholly invested in my work, even if my audience remains small and silent. I am only writing to those who share my values and pleading with them to hear my cries through the written word.
My pleas are always about happiness and the various paths toward and away from its heart. Tolstoy often gets brought up when he says, “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” I tend to agree that there is a more specific path needed to attain happiness, while it is much easier to fall into unhappiness in any number of ways, which is why I show stories that end tragically due to unresolved errors and happily when errors are corrected. But my end goal is always to teach my readers how to be happier in their own lives by learning what to be wary of and what to enjoy in life. This desire stems from who I was as a young reader.
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Views Expressed Disclaimer: The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent the postings, strategies, or opinions of American Wordsmith, LLC. Please also know that while I consider myself an Objectivist and my work is inspired by Objectivism, it is not nor should it be considered Objectivist since I am not the creator of the philosophy. For more information about Ayn Rand’s philosophy visit: aynrand.org.