Please, completely disregard my first blog post titled “The Best Part of Writing.” It must have been two years ago when I wrote that, and it’s completely invalid. Unfortunately I don’t have the heart to delete it, since its four ‘Likes’ make it my top blog post so far.

Only one thing from that post still stands today: creative sparks are one of the best parts of writing. Since receive the spark I wrote about, I have had multiple revelations and sparks about that same issue, and with each one the truth gets better and better. I love coming up with these genius ideas.

I’ve come to realize that isn’t THE best part of writing, however. What makes those genius sparks so great isn’t the sparks themselves. I’m captivated by the idea of how readers will feel when they see the same sparks I saw. I love writing so much because these words in and of themselves are capable of manipulating our thoughts and emotions.

Perhaps part of what makes authors and writers seem so scary is our love for manipulating people’s emotions.

When I write the death of a main character, I’m probably crying with you. It’s also true, however, that I am laughing my head off like a complete maniac while I imagine you sitting there with your jaw dropping and your eyes wide and maybe even a few tears sliding down your face while screaming (internal or external) ensues.

There’s something really beautiful about knowing that the words I wrote, the lies I told, have the power to bring about a complete meltdown.

It kind of makes me feel like an evil genius. Is it bad if that’s something I’m proud of?

I still can’t say that’s THE best part of writing.

The best part of writing is what comes after the meltdowns. After any screaming and/or crying, despite the heartbreak that persists, I’ve taught you some genuinely beautiful lessons. I’ve taken you to places you never would have seen, given you friends you never would have met, and shown you different aspects of the world that you never would have thought of. It’s an experience you’ll never forget. Me. I did that. I’ve changed your life. And I’ve probably never met you before.

I love writing. I love feeling like a genius, evil or otherwise. More than anything else, I love knowing that I have the power to change the world, one person at a time. The endless hours I put into drafting and studying and trying to be better will all pay off. I would do it even if I only had one reader. I would do it just for myself. When I write, I get to live these adventures over and over again in different ways as I try to carve them out one more time, putting in all my devotion to get it just write. I get to see these same relationships, this same world, and I get to change myself. To me, writing and reading are two of the most beautiful things in the world. Nothing can change that.