Why the long face

My friend Jenny Milchman recently asked why we write what we write. http://www.jennymilchman.com/blog/?p=456

I have no idea why I write the things I do, but every time I am inside the mind of a madman. It's an uncomfortable place to be. I like darkness, I like mystery, I like people who think they should be gods on earth. I like that which is bigger than life. I like tragedy and I like passion. I like people who devour themselves in their attempts to change the world. Why? I don't know. I never write about real life. Real life is boring, or, worse, tragic in a way I do not wish to face. I think my dark historical fiction gives me a nice distance from which to view madness and obsession and tragedy.