Hello! My name is Via Douglas, and I am a freelance writer and author of young adult books. Welcome to my blog and my first official post. I look forward to updating my blog weekly and giving you new posts and topics to explore. Writing is my number one passion, so I am excited to follow a career path of freelance writing and do what I love most for the rest of my life. I have been writing since I was a very young child, and I wrote my first full book at thirteen years old. In the past seven months, I have written two more complete books. I am working on editing them and plan on publishing them sometime in the next year, so I will keep you updated on that process. One is a young adult small-town romance set in the 90s, and the other is a YA dystopian novel that will be the first book in a trilogy.

In this post, I wanted to share why I love to write. Writing to me is not just putting words down on paper – it is creating meaning through thoughtfulness and intentionality. Writing can bring people who are extremely different together and help us see each other’s point of view. It tells stories, teaches, and preserves memory. I think it is beautiful how someone’s work can be preserved long after they are gone. The classics live on, and history is retold again and again because documentation keeps it alive. Also, I admire and respect the beauty of crafting masterpieces through mixing words and ideas together to paint a literary picture that others can enjoy. Writing communicates not just knowledge but also personal thoughts and emotions. There is something magical about how reading someone else’s words can make us smile, laugh, cry, or feel emotions we might not normally get to experience. Writing brings entertainment, enjoyment, and also expands readers’ minds. It takes us to new places and introduces us to new people as we enter into different worlds.

One of my favorite quotes is by Tony Morrison, and it goes like this: “If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” This sums up perfectly one of the biggest reasons I write fictional books. Ever since I was young, I would come up with very specific ideas of what I wanted to read, and when I couldn’t find them in a book at the library, I would add them to a list of what I would one day write about. Writing takes me to my own little world.

I enjoy writing many different types of pieces. Some of the forms of crafting words I have used for the longest time are writing poetry, creating songs, and writing short stories and books. I also have a passion for researching and writing papers and articles that inform others about certain subjects or topics they might want to learn more about. Blog posts, articles, personal essays, and other freelance work allow me to cover many different aspects of creating, researching, and writing.

I have worked at a library part-time since I was sixteen years old, which has greatly expanded my knowledge about books, good literature, and people’s search for knowledge and answers. I love to read just as much as I love to write, which is why I created the Book Corner section of my website. My favorite genres are romance and dystopian, and I also love enemies-to-lovers stories! When I’m not reading or writing, I am listening to music, watching comedy shows, and spending time with my family.

Anyway, I just wanted to say hello and give a little more of a formal introduction about myself and why I write. I hope you have enjoyed this post, and keep a lookout for my next one!

-Via