Why Do You Write?

Writing can be stubborn; like a child. When he is a toddler, you envision how to raise him up; a sweet and smiley little child. But when he develops some senses, he grows on his own; and when he reaches adolescence, does he not rebel?

I do not know why writers write. You could have asked Gene Fowler, but he is dead. He said:

Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead.

But writers will still write. Why are we stubborn?

For money

Any endeavor undertaken with money the foremost concern, rarely turns out distinguished. Writers have mouths. And they too tire from working; writing. They need a motivation; but must it come from the purse? I don’t know.

As long as a piece of work is entertaining, and of a quality a reader is willing to pay for, the writer will earn. And that is fine, on one side.

On the other side: writers who follow the money, may lean towards popular themes, that readers find absorbing, and current; and are therefore inclined to buy books on these themes; at the expense of other areas, that may require equal societal scrutiny.

For expression

There are writers who practice their art for self-expression. Politicians will politic, activists will champion their causes; but writers will speak through pen. Writing gives the writer a platform to reach a wide audience with a message. Through this, the writer will express his or her worldview: what he/she thinks to be the best way of human conduct. The writer will pick a subject, and make his or her stand through a story. He or she may go on to express his/her contempt, or approval regarding a matter that is current, futuristic or past.

For the respect of art

There is something powerful in art that only artists, and those who appreciate art can connect with. Creative writing, like other forms of art, has a way of inserting the writer into a state of flow. The writer’s mind, during these moments, attains highest level of creativity and harmony that is difficult to express to non-artists. It is like paradise; orgasmic. This is a zone in which artists would want to remain in, or return to continually.

Writers who write for art, also love to champion art. They’d want to produce quality work, to pay homage to the great artists before them. For writers like these, the quality of art must be retained; if not improved.

For life

Some write because that’s the only thing they are best at; some do it because it is therapeutic; some do it to talk and connect to themselves. Through writing, some people arrange and clarify their thoughts, and thereby become analytical and more creative: because in constructing a story, and it’s entire setting, characters and characterization, things must make sense, and every part fit into, or connect to another, in a logical, and believable way.

For entertainment

Who doesn’t like great movies? great stories? great poems? All these are the works of writers. Many writers draw satisfaction from the enjoyment of their audience. Often, this gratification transcends monetary regard.

But if writing is so difficult, that Jessamyn West often felt that writers, having had their hell in earth, would escape all punishment thereafter; why—and there can be tens of reasons—do YOU write?

#AmEditing #AmWriting #Writers

Author of Konad (expected 2019).