Anyone, Anywhere

In the September 2006 O magazine, Oprah interviewed Janet Fitch, author of White Oleander.

At the end of the interview, Fitch stated, "In our exterior life, we can be only one person. But in our imagination, we can be anyone, anywhere. That's one of the reasons I read and write. It's a way for me to have more than one life." (p. 280)


I write fiction for my own pleasure with shimmery dreams of being published, but I think Fitch hits on one of my big motivators--to have more than one life. And I agree--reading does the same thing. As I suffer or rejoice with the characters, I enter another world, another life.

I love stories, whether everyday, real-life stories from a person's blog or powerful, epic tales from the classics. In any story I can be anyone, anywhere. I can have more than one life without all the fuss of more than one puberty. I like to think that identifying with others and living these lives increases compassion and understanding in my "exterior life," as Fitch calls it. But I don't know. It might just be escapist.