Why do Writers Write?
Understanding your purpose as a writer is one of the most important offensive strategies you can take on your journey. Why do writers write? The reasons abound, and if you want to be productive and joyful as you write, then you should figure out your reason.First, it’s important to understand why story ideas are so powerful, why they make writers write. It’s because they are magical. Ideas soar through the universe constantly, and when a writer is open and willing, they will know an idea when it smacks them upside the head. Yeah, that’s pretty much how it goes. Such violence might make you wonder why the heck writers write, might even scare you away. Rest assured, when an idea strikes, writers feel charged, electrified. Sizzling with anticipation.The idea acts like a seed, a breath, full of potential growth. An onion-skin of creativity. Only with nurturing can that seed bloom.
Why writers write reason #1
Because we must turn that idea into story; we must nurture that seed.There is a fragility at this juncture, too, and while we may be bursting at the seams with writing energy, we can also feel the shaky precipice beneath our toes.There aren’t many of us who go back and sow the seed again. Quite a large percentage give up.-The work is too difficult.-We can’t take criticism.-We have no self-discipline.-We don’t know how to become better.-We’re tired, maybe even bored with the story, and we just want to dig it out of our lives.-We let well-meaning friends read it too soon, or we query too soon.-Our determination crumbles, our passion dwindles, our dream fades.
Why writers write reason #2
Despite these various shadows of failure, why writers write is because they were prepared for the setbacks and disappointments.Writing again is usually the next response. It may not happen immediately, but it will happen for the most motivated, the ones whose calling it is to be a writer. We square our shoulders, grudgingly pick up our tools, and return to our struggling creations.We prune the growth, dig up the root ball and transplant it. Hopefully this time, we’ll be able to offer more wisdom, more skill, more vulnerability, more ferocity.
Why writers write reason #3
By now, they’ve made an investment. Whether it is an investment of time, or resources, or energy—they see little sense in throwing all of that away just because the journey went sideways a bit.This is why writers write again. And yet, sometimes, that’s still not enough. The ending is rushed. The antagonist is one-dimensional. The setting doesn’t fill the senses. Too many words. No clear theme. POV is scattered. Research is not thorough. One problem or a web of problems, the piece doesn’t work.
Why writers write reason #4
Often why writers write is all because of the story that needs to be told and how it has bonded to your creative center, your muse, your writer self. The connection, when it is solid, genuine, and nurtured, is the force behind your writing journey.How many times have I hit a wall of thorns on my writing journey and asked myself, “Now what?” The choices choke me. Do I stow my tools? Do I self-publish even though it’s sub-par? Do I roll up my sleeves and dig for a better story? And even if I do write again, I could be right back here in this predicament again. There is NO guarantee that my words will inspire anyone. NO guarantee that I’ll be successful. NO guarantee that I can instill hope in a single reader.No reason why I should write again. But I do.
Why this Writer Writes
I live in my imagination. Nothing against the real world, but I have to say—when I have the chance to write, I’m there. I can’t resist the magical lure of another realm and its characters, who, to me, are like real people with real conflicts that need resolution.Their stories need to be told, and they came to me for that.Or there is some kind of question I need to answer, a hope to instill, a cause to fight for.My family complains that I’m hard of hearing because they’ll try to talk to me when I’m doing dishes or another rote household chore, and I won’t respond.Honey, I say, it’s not that I don’t hear you. You’re simply not in the same world as I am.Truth, I am that absorbed and immersed and wrapped up in the action that is taking place in my head—which, often, is much more interesting than anything going in the real world.Sorry, fam.I feel blessed to conjure ideas and craft them into stories, which is another reason why I write. Many people say they want to write a book, but I get to say that I do write books, that I get to spend my time looking for hidden treasure, rescuing lost hikers, tracking down a murderer, mingling with pirates, and other exciting adventures.While I’m anxious to bring my stories into the world, to share them with readers, what is more important to me is that I do it for the right reasons. I respect the art of writing too much to simply pen it and publish it. I believe that my people, the ones who live in my imagination, deserve my patience, care, and intensity.Why this writer writes is because I have answered a calling, and I take it very seriously. That’s probably why I put up with a lot of heartache. Luckily, I’m caught up more by what I absolutely love about writing—that it’s a portal to a realm I can share with others.Once I understood the reasons why I write, I was able to bushwack a path that fulfilled my criteria. I learned my core purpose as a writer and what I needed to accomplish to stay productive and joyful. Even when I hit those walls of thorns and I wondered if maybe this time I should quit. I reminded myself that writing sustains me and why I love it, in all its unpredictable splendor.Why do you write? What do you love about writing?