We live in a society that scowls at us if we answer “creative writing” to the question, “What is your passion in life?” It’s not fighting for justice in court, saving lives in an OR, perfecting marketing strategies for billion-dollar corporations, or engineering the next big invention that will take over the world. It’s a “waste of time” to sit in front of Microsoft Word for hours concocting stories that could never happen in real life. It’s “unrealistic” to believe it can be made into a substantial career. It’s “counterproductive” in a culture that thrives on practicality and twenty-year plans. “How do you expect to be successful when all you do is write stories about nothing? Stupid romance novels that are laughable compared to the achievements of your peers researching in labs for hours every day.” It’s time to destigmatize creative writing and to stop making those who spend years working on 80,000 word manuscripts feel like their work is insignificant. Continue reading