It's difficult to explain what motivates me to write... In most cases, ideas
come in a flash of inspiration (or insanity, according to your viewpoint...)
and I just sit down and type them out.  "Almost a Miracle" started from the
discovery of RAAC, and upon reading a few fics, ideas literally flew into my
head.  I had to keep a pad beside me at all times, since I would often have
these little flashes without warning, and sometimes in the middle of writing
a fic!
Truth be known, I have *boxes* of finished, unfinished, and naked concept
stuff around here, that to this day faces an uncertain future. <G!>

In fact, as I compose this response, something is coming to mind that may
help explain things better...

<ficmode>

At last, the time had arrived, and I was free once again to venture into my
own personal 'virtual reality'.  I sat before the portal to a world of my
own design, preparing to leave the real world and all it's troubles in my
widening wake.
	Leaning over, I started up my lowly computer, and loaded the tool of my
emancipation...  the word processor.  As I not-so-patiently awaited it, I
pondered my choices for the evening's distraction.  Where would I go?  There
were a number of tantalizing choices available to me, ranging from the known
universes established by those who enjoyed similar pursuits to my own, to
any new dimension I chose to create.  The whole process excited me, to the
point where reality began to pale in comparison.
	Grabbing a quick swig from the prerequisite coffee mug beside me, I reached
for the keys and began to compose yet another new and wonderful world for
the inhabitants of my imagination.  As the new vista took shape in the
glowing rectangle before me, a stray thought caught me wondering what the
participants in my world-building thought of my efforts.  I had never
considered such a circumstance, and quickly jotted the idea down in my
ever-present scratch pad.  Experience had taught me to always have one
available, since concepts had a habit of striking randomly, without warning
or reason, and it was best to be prepared.
	The composition at hand flowed rapidly from my fingers, at least as rapidly
as I could manipulate the keys... I could feel the hypnotic effects of the
words coalescing around me, forming the new world, lending it depth,
ambiance, sound, color... thus allowing me to really feel the environment I
was creating.  This event told me that the infant was growing, a feeling
that brought me great pleasure.
	As I introduced new characters, I found myself already excited about their
lives and promising futures, in fact embracing them as friends within
moments of their creation.  As their lives and circumstances took shape, I
even found myself feeling sad for their tragedies; happy for their
successes, romantic about their love interests... It became an emotional
roller-coaster ride that I cherished a seat upon.
	
</ficmode>

That kinda summs up how it goes for me.

Coutuva.
Catch all my 'Fics (and more!) at Water's Edge!
http://waters-edge.home.ml.org/archive/Vic/

"If man realizes technology is within reach,
he achieves it... like it's damn-near
instinctive." - Maj. Motoko Kusanagi.