Epiphany.

I have these often, actually. Robyn tends to be the recipient of the Great Epiphany Reveal but this time I decided to deviate from the usual routine and - gasp! - start a blog!

I have to create. I think it may be an addiction, or maybe a compulsion, but either way I always need an outlet for my creativity. My typical outlet is to write. I'm not the best writer (in fact, I lack the ability to think out a coherent plot) but it's something I love to do.
I began writing when I was thirteen. I decided I would write the Next Epic Fantasy. Little did I know that George R. R. Martin beat me to it so there went that idea . . .
Imagine my sadness when I first read A Game of Thrones and realized my hopes and dreams had gone rolling along the steps of the Great Sept along with poor Ned's head.
Anyway. My fantasy was horribly cliche but I was thirteen; I had no life experience whatsoever. I still have this literary nightmare saved on a disk and every once in a while I decide to revisit it - mostly when I need a good laugh.

It wasn't long after that I discovered the world of online role-playing games - and no, it's not the least bit kinky so get your mind out of the gutter. This was a world rife with creativity just waiting to be tapped into. I was hooked.
My first character was (surprise...) horribly cliche but I learned and my next was a bit more unique. Around this time I began to suspect that I had a hint of schizophrenia. How else could I switch so easily between 14 different characters, each with their own unique personality, likes and dislikes, etc.? But I did it. Each one of those characters was like a little thread of my personality that I tapped into whenever I posted. And the best part? I didn't even have to come up with plots!
Some characters will forever be close to my heart - the every man's man Sean, the infamous Lucy (later renamed Alice), the oh-so sexy bad boy Vic and my morally challenged mercenary Nick . . . to name a few. There are new gems there too, ones that have the potential to move into the realm of favorite - Sadie, the MILF pin-up model who is destined to be the next Suzy Homemaker; Ryan, her moody teenage son; Aislin, the tattooed lesbian drummer.
I'm not really sure what it says about me that I can write males better than females but I suppose that's a topic for another day . . .

I made a lot of friends through my online RPs and still talk to a handful of them on a regular basis. I also still RP every day and still balance about 14 or so characters - both male and female, young and old. I think it may help to preserve my sanity when I'm up to my eyebrows in spit-up and haven't showered in three days. It's a small escape into a fantasy world - one that other writers help to build and maintain.

Though writing is my main hobby I have other ways to create. Sewing, baking, drawing, making babies. I'm decent at each of them (though I like to think I excel at making babies . . .) and the bottom line is that each of these things is something I'm compelled to do at different times. With the holidays coming up, I'll start baking again. I probably won't dig out my sewing machine again until next year. I very rarely draw any more - a skill that is mostly reserved for preschool art projects - and we're not planning on making any more babies. Through it all though, I'll continue to write . . . because I have to. It's an addiction.