Writing for a Cause
I write because I love to create stories; to formulate something from nothing that hopes to engage and inspire readers from all over the world. There is something magical in our imagination that allows us to send our audiences on a journey whether it is a true story or fantasy. That is what inspires me to keep writing, and to continue publishing my stories; it’s about pure connection through the written word.
Recently I published my first anthology of short stories; some I had written many years ago in my late teen years; others had been a collection of sporadic notes and ideas that I had kept hidden away in a small work-in-progress folder. Each on their own were brief, succinct snippets of my writing, my personal collection that I had saved; hoping that one day they would see the light of day. I had always played with the thought that I could collate them into a small collection for publishing, but only recently I made that dream a reality.
These stories are a different side of my writing; they are purely fiction, sometimes a little dark, each with its own ending hopes to keep my readers guessing until the very end. As a writer, I have traditionally written personal stories in the form of a memoir, and the only fiction work I have released has been aimed at early readers and young children. Writing for an adult audience in the fiction arena was certainly a new space for me, publicly.
Nonetheless, Dark and Twisty became a project of passion, as I decided to take my notes and old stories out of the closet, bringing them to life in a new and public format.
Why now? I wanted to produce something that was still personal to me, something that captured my writing over the years; that gave a small piece of me to my audience. I decided that this book would be dedicated to my Father and my Aunt, both of whom are fighting against Cancer, and whilst I cannot help them medically, I can give them a piece of me through my writing.
Why this project? I decided that all profits from the sales of Dark and Twisty would be donated directly to Worldwide Cancer Research via justgiving.com/darktwisty. For readers it provides something tangible in return for their donation, and whether they read all or just part of it, or even if they gift it to a friend; a book of short stories is easy to pick up and put down.
Will it make a difference? I personally believe that every effort to fight cancer is making a difference, and even if someone reads my book, identifies with the cause, it is helping to build visibility to an issue that is affecting all of us, even by association.
Personally, my father and my aunt were both incredibly honoured to have the book dedicated to them, and for me that makes the entire project worthwhile.
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Rachel McGrath grew up in Brisbane, Australia, where she studied business, before moving to the United Kingdom in her early thirties. Finding the Rainbow is her first published work, a memoir capturing a difficult time in her life. She is passionate about sharing her story with a wider audience.
BUY DARK AND TWISTY HERE
Find out more about Rachel on her website http://rachelmcgrath.net/
Rachel featured on WWWB before: Writing About Infertility: Breaking Down Social Norms
Category: Contemporary Women Writers, How To and Tips
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