Why do we write? It’s a simple enough question. The answer, well, that’s not quite as cut and dried. Every writer has his or her own reason for putting pen to paper in an effort to entertain, educate, or just let off a little steam.
I’ve been writing since about the age of eight. It’s just something I’ve always enjoyed. My motivations have changed over the years. Early on I wrote with the notion that I’d be the only one reading my work. I’d put down on paper some grand idea I’d find wandering through my head, an event from the day, or maybe a song or a poem. There has always been a need for me to create with word combinations belonging only to me.
In my teen years, for the first time, I wrote knowing that others would read my words. These writings took the form of record and concert reviews published in my high school’s newspaper. I went to a large school, with a student body of nearly 2500 members. People began to give me feedback, advice, compliments. I absorbed it all like a sponge. I felt a calling on my life; a calling to write.
To this day I am not able to make a living with this craft. And that’s fine; I didn’t take up my pen for financial gain. If and when it comes, that will be the clichéd icing on the proverbial cake!
I still enjoy writing. Whether it’s a novel, short stories, book reviews, or blog articles—like this one here—writing is my passion. I also find pleasure in writing communications to friends; letters that I’ll compose using pen and paper, stamp and envelope. I just don’t write every day the way I once did. Mood is my major motivating factor these days. Do I feel like writing something today? If I do, what form will it take? That’s just me, though.
Some writers must create each every day. Many even establish a daily word count. The day is a complete loss if they’ve not sprinkled a thousand words across their keyboard. It’s all selective depending on the individual.
Ann Frank needed to write. This girl’s existence consisted inside four walls of a silent room that became her family’s prison for many years. She wrote every day, detailing a life most human beings could never imagine. Writing is all Ann Frank had to keep her connected to the world—as dark as her world became.
Harper Lee didn’t need to write. Oh, sure, early on she wrote short stories, essays, and articles. But then she wrote a novel called To Kill A Mockingbird and basically walked away from the craft. Her sister claims the author knew she’d never again approach the level of success Mockingbird achieved—no matter the caliber of book number two. So why bother? Rumor has it there’s an incomplete book with the Harper Lee name attached to it. We’ll probably never have a chance to read it, though.
J. D. Salinger, though he ceased publishing his work after the mid-1960s, continued to write, taking a few hours each and every morning, creating stories only he had opportunity to enjoy. Upon his death, it was revealed that several of Salinger’s unreleased manuscripts would be published. The man loved writing but hated the attention his work drew from across the world.
Some people have never written anything outside of personal letters to friends and family. That doesn’t make them any less a writer than those with books or short stories on their resumes.
Everybody has their own reasons for writing—regardless if they publish or not.
Why do I write? I write because I have a passion to write—just not every day.
Why do you write?
Great post Beem! Really makes you think.
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Thanks, Janice. I’ve posted this blog elsewhere and it’s just amazing the differing answers I’ve received–which was my intention. Everybody has that something personal that urges them to write. Thanks for commenting.
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Hi Beem, I am honored to have booked you on: The Talent Real Talk show. My blog radio show, I am looking forward to meeting and chatting live with you. Much success.
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Thanks, Vanessa. I am so looking forward to being on your show!
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For me, writing is like breathing. Even if I only manage an 11 or 12 syllable poem in a day, it’s creation. Like you, Beem, I don’t earn anything worth mentioning from my writing, but I definitely couldn’t give it up. Excellent and thoughtful post. Thanks for sharing 💕🙂
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Writing really is a necessity for many of us. Some days I may only manage a few lines, but it’s there on that page. And I’m happy if it moves the story along. Thank you for chiming in, Harmony.
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A terrific view of why we write, Beem. I think every individual has a different answer. I know it’s just something I need to do every day. Those days that I don’t write do not feel complete.
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I’m with you there, John. Those days I don’t write feel like wasted opportunities. And we never know when those opportunities will dry up.
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That is true, Beem.
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Many people have asked me that, and my answer is always the same. I write simply because there is a voice inside me that will not be still. If I am not writing, it nags me day and night. It nags me until I have to sit down, just to be able to think of other things. That sounds crazy, but the voice started when I was six, and I began to write silly stories, most of which were ripped off of the Disney movies I saw. I didn’t care about that then. All I knew was that I had to write. Sixty-two years later, at age sixty-eight, I still hear the voice. And that, boys and girls, is why I write.
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I know that voice, Verwayne. That voice has kept me awake at night, demanding I write what it tells me. Some of my best work arrives like that. There’s nothing to silence it but writing. Thanks for the comment.
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Brilliant post, Beem. I write for several reasons. While I enjoy the creative aspect of piecing together a story, I’m often driven to write because of the message I want to share. The challenge is to find the right words, the right context, that might serve the mysterious higher good.
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I know that need to find the right words, Gwen. When the right words fall into the message I had intended to convey, it honestly brings me joy. Writing one meaningful paragraph can put me in such a wonderful mood.
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I use writing in different ways. Sometimes it’s therapeutic in journals, or some opining and socializing in the blog. And in longer projects for the sense of accomplishment. The constant is that it helps me feel good about myself for a while. Thanks!
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Thanks for sharing your motivations, JV. The therapeutic journal idea is one I’ve utilized in the past. I know others who keep journals for such purposes. All valid motivations.
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