Women Writers Asks: Why do you write?
Do you write to persuade? To inform? To change the world? To be remembered?
When you pick up your pen, or open your notebook, or pull up a Word document, what is your goal?
What pushes you to write, rewrite, rewrite a dozen more times, and then edit until mental and physical exhaustion?
Why do you write?
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Category: On Writing
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I think everyone writes to express his/her innermost feelings. the desires, the untold stories of hopes and despairs, the pain and the wonder of our soul. Our unblossomed florets of dreams, the forlorn paths which we can’t venture. I write for myself. For the joy of expressing my innermost dwellings through words. But after it is over, it no longer belongs to us. those dwellings belongs to another household then, THE READERS. that is how writing travels and it is incomplete without reading. I write to express this and then to travel to another household to discovery it. I write to travel, to find oneness between me and others.
This is an extract of a ‘Blog-Hop’ I participated in last year:
Many of my blog posts are inspired by stories of growing up as an Italian-Australian kid in Sydney’s inner-west in the 1960s. It was such an interesting time, observing my parents cooking, entertaining and trying to keep aspects of their heritage alive after their post-WW11 migration.
I’m also interested in how food is represented in films, particularly some pre-1980s American movies where Italian families only ever ate spaghetti and meatballs, which is not an authentic Italian dish. Pasta e fagioli (pasta and bean soup) became ‘pasta fazool’. Thank you Dean Martin.
Gathering these thoughts into something I think people might want to read is always a gamble …
I write to escape and to provide an escape for others. I love creating a life for my characters and watching them grow.
I also write to inform women and share my experiences with them.
Because the alternative is unthinkable.
I’ve discovered that injustice gets under my skin and is a through line in my first two novels.
My experience with writing is like panning for gold. I sift through streams of the ordinary. My thoughts and experiences. Every now and then, there’s an “aha” moment when the light hits & I cannot keep the treasure to myself. I want to hold the nugget up, turn it over in my hands, offer it to others and hope that what may have enriched my own life might be enjoyed by another.
I don’t really know….. I have an vivid imagination, especially at night. I can’t sleep at night because I be up writing what’s on my mind. I have published a few stories on a website, http://www.wattpad.com. I think I write to relieve stress and to share my ideas, of course.
This is why I write in the day. If I write at night, I can’t sleep! My mind won’t stop.
I write because I have to. I have an instinctive yearning inside to create, imagine and interpret the world as I see it. Writing fills me with passion, energy and contentment. Writing is who I am, who I have always been and who I will always be. To share this joy with others is something really special, personal and intimate.
Why do I write? I write because someone needs to know. I write because it is my therapy. I write because no one understand what it’s like to live with Aspergers, Osteoarthritis, Fibromyalgia, scoliosis, Meniere’s disease, AND be a single mother of 2 children with Autism & other special needs. I write because I have to. I write for freedom. I write to hopefully provide for my children. I write to show my children that it’s okay to be creative, it’s okay to be who you are, AND you can even make money to survive while doing it!
I am a Griot. Stories are medicine that heal, transmute, recreate, and vision. The spirits of the ancestors, the living, and the yet to be born speak reality through my voice. I write to re-member myself.
I wrote my first short story in the third grade, and…like a typical first child, got a rush (and validation) from anyone who read my work. Now, years later, I write full-time and find that connecting with readers provides the same wonderful feelings. I write about love and happy endings in a world that needs more of both…
I have something to say.
I write to teach the best practice of funding initiatives that build sustainability into the lives of people living in difficult circumstances
I write to understand.
I’m not an author. I love to write poems though. For my family and friends. Some for myself as well to express my feelings and to cope with special situations or events. Can’t imagine a life without reading or writing.
Why do I write? Because I must. Because I have to. There simply is no choice.
I have a vivid imagination, my imagination leads to a fantastic story. A story that I find entertaining to tell. Dreams and imaginations should be put in print, there are so many writers out there that have used their imaginations or a dream that they once had in order to come up with the amazing books or movies that we see everyday. I write to share my stories with those who will enjoy or appreciation my work from my imagination.
I write to escape to my subconscious mind.
Beautifully put Kathryne. Mattingly is my birth name – good to know there are some of us out there! Would love know about your writing.
Lines Written in My Closet, September 1782, Gloucester, MA
“Yes I must write, it soothes, and calms my mind,
And with my pen, my fairest hours I find.
Retir’d from care, to this far distant spot,
Would I could say the world were then forgot,
My various Musings, pensive, grave, and sad,
And moments too, by sacred joys made glad,
Are here indulg’d, while none presumes to trace.
My lov’d retreat, my little sheltering place,
Serene I dwell on memory’s brightening page,
And in past scenes with new delight engage:
Anticipate each future joy or grief,
Smile at the bliss, and seek for tears relief,
When heart felt sorrows every where surround,
And with their barbed arrows deeply wound.
Nor can I, seated solitary here,
The censuring tongue of rancrous malice fear,
None but my Father God my conduct views,
Who with paternal love my steps pursues,
And to his searching eye I make appeal,
My heart doth only common failings feel.”
I write to make sense out of the thoughts in my head. Once those thoughts are on paper, impending decisions become crystal clear and scrambled emotions can be soothed. I write to inspire others that even though life may knock us down every once in awhile, there is still beauty in getting back up and moving forward.
I write because I discovered I could, because after years of looking for ways to express my creativity, without ever feeling whole, I finally found what it was I could best do. What it was I wanted to do.
I write to connect with the world, to reflect the lives of people who live on the margins, who others might think unimportant.
I write to make myself whole, to disappear in the act of writing, to lose myself completely, so that time passes unnoticed.
I write to spend time in other worlds that fascinate me.
I write because I get my own room with books and flowers.
I write because I love reading and words and I love polishing my words over and over.
I write because then I am never lonely.
I write to give purpose to my life.
I write because now I have to, I must, it has become an essential part of who I am.
I write because it brings me great joy and takes me to many places.
I write to inspire others. My journey from childhood to now has been interesting and by learning how I tick and that something always comes from the bad, I understand myself. I love to grow and I want to help others grow with my inspirational fiction and self help articles. x
I write because it is a part of me. The desire to write is in my blood, and in my very soul. I need it like I need oxygen. Without it, I’d die.
Because the alternative is unthinkable.
Because I need to.
I need to find out who I am and I realised that writing helps me to get in touch with my inner self. My true self. So I will write and write until I find out who I really am but while on this quest, I write to change something in our society that is wrong. I write to encourage others and myself. I write to connect with the Creator who gave me this gift.
I need to find out who I am and I realized that writing helps me to get in touch with my inner self. My true self. So I will write and write until I find out who I really am but while on this quest, I write to change something in our society that is wrong. I write to encourage others and myself. I write to connect with the Creator who gave me this gift.
I write because there are stories inside me that want to be let out. It’s a creative need that makes me whole.
The question makes it sound as if one has a choice. I’ve never felt as if I do.
Even during my non-writing years (before I learned how to read and write at age 5 or so, during my 20s when I was in a very bad relationship), I was always making up stories. It only makes sense to write them down if I am able to. Editing is the act of making them sound as good as they did in my head. It’s only recently I’ve discovered that other people like to read them too, but even if that weren’t true I’d keep writing. I see the act of making them publicly available (through publishing or alternative means) as a separate but related activity.
I enjoy writing, I think and reflect a lot and my thoughts need to go somewhere. When I write sometimes I talk to an invisible society, sometimes I talk to myself.
I imagine and when I do I write. I share my thoughts and sometimes I share my opinions, I share stories that are a mix of reality and fiction.
I write so the memories, dreams, and nightmares stop tormenting me. Writing is the best therapy.
I write because I want to. I write because if I don’t, my head will explode with all the ideas I have. I write because I want to convey a message. I write to help others escape reality for a little while. I write for the same reason I breathe.
I write to right the wrongs of reality. There will always be a happy ending in my stories!
Why do I write?
Because I love to.
For the joy of clipping words together
To make something sing
To tell a story
To inhabit another world
To create characters and watch them grow
To get to know them like new friends.
But Yes, to share, to be heard, for others to enjoy, be impressed?
Because I love to start the day by going to my writing room with fresh coffee and just … well, starting.
I write because an image/emotion/idea/words/theme/emotion/words/title morph into a genie that won’t stay in the lamp.
I write to release the stories and situations that I need to make sense of, as well as to entertain.
I write because I can’t not write.
I write because the plotbunnies will eat me if I don’t. In other words, these stories are fighting their way to the world, relentlessly. They need me to write them down.
I write for a selfish reason. I do it because I don’t just want to tell a story to other people, I write because I want tell a story to myself that no one else will write. As a young reader I started going through books like water. I’d get stories from wherever I could.
As I got older my desire to read a certain type of story got stronger and because its rare when you find an author you love, let alone the kind of book that has that hallucinogenic that makes us continue to ignore the world while we turn the pages until the dinner’s charcoal, the cat has ventured to take its chances on the open prairie and the neighbors have unofficially- and somewhat illegally – adopted the baby. I mean, come on that stuff is magic. So I decided I’d write it myself.
I’ve never stopped since.
I’m currently writing my first piece of autobiographical fiction based on my journey through childhood leukaemia. I write to share my story, reduce prejudice and stereotyping and to inform those who aren’t fully aware of how childhood cancer impacts upon the social, emotional and physiological aspects of those involved.
It’s important for me to raise awareness about symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, emotional and psychological strength as well as bullying and judgemental people as well as offering hope and inspiration to families experiencing a similar situation.
In short, I’m writing to make positive outcomes from what was a very negative situation; why go through something awful if it can’t be used to help and inspire others?
I’ve sort of been wondering this myself — I’m an editor, but I want to expand my skills and my business and thought that blogging about anything and everything might help open myself up to more people. I do write fiction, but for my own eyes, and perhaps a few select people and when I did put pen to paper for those pieces, I simply HAD to. It kept my brain engaged in something other than my “normal”. But, RL and other events intervened and I haven’t written anything in ages, or thought about it until now. It scares me putting my thoughts on a blog; the established, funny, witty bloggers already out there make me wonder who will want to listen to me, you know, lol. That’s me. Can this count as my first blog post?
I write because my overactive imagination will give me no peace. Focusing on one project is like tuning into one channel. I enjoy the physical act of writing, of using a good pen on quality paper. The weight of a manuscript in my hands is very satisfying.
Whether I’m alone, driving, listening to music or just relaxing, I always have a story in my head. The characters — from those stories — that speak to me the most, are the ones I am compelled to write about. They want their story told and I enjoy telling it :-).
I write because it helps me understand the world. So simple. So hard. But impossible to imagine my life without ink flowing.
I write to understand and be understood.
But I also do it for the fun of making art out of words, because the Delete button is easy and because that moment when another person says, “Yes, I know exactly how that feels! I’ve been there!” is a very cool kind of connection.
I was a shy, sensitive child and started expressing myself through my writing early on. It started with poems and phased into scenes that came to me or were based on a dream. I grew more confident, partly because I was proud of my writing in school and my ability to express emotion. This was fortunate because I tanked at math and science.
As a much-less-shy, sensitive adult, I’ve found creative writing to be an escape from the stress that comes in midlife as you care for ailing parents, fret over the economy and worry, in general, about everything under the sun. Just the act of scheduling time alone in the house brings me peace.
Not that I don’t love my family, but alone time has become sacred to me and I use those precious hours to retreat into myself and wake up the characters in my head. When it all comes together and the words start flowing, it’s like a narcotic (I assume.)
I have just begun writing for others and recently self-published my first book, STOLEN SKYE, as an e-book on Amazon. Getting positive feedback from readers has sealed the deal for me… I’m hooked on writing for good.
I write because it feels like my destiny, something that I started in childhood, although largely abandoned for decades until relatively recently.
The quality of my writing is largely irrelevant, but the fact of it is.
And so, I write daily, most of which is shared – through my blog, journal pieces, academic work – and a little of which is written by me but never read by an other, including myself.
I often wonder why I write. I guess it is a passion, and as such it gives me emotional highs and lows, and sometimes joy.
I write to connect with other people. I enjoy the process of writing (a lot) but the feedback of people who let me know how my writing has affected them is even better. We all need each other; the written word can help us connect.
I write because I have no choice. Whether it be fictional characters or real stories drawn from my life and my heart, i have no choice but to tell them. When someone reads my words and I see their eyes shining I know I will never be able to stop.
I have always been passionate about reading and writing, particularly for children. My daughter asks me to read her my stories (even the unfinished first drafts) every day. As I watch her take my characters far beyond my words into new stories and adventures I am thrilled. Could there be a greater reward for simply doing what I love?
Thank you for asking!
Question: ‘Why do you write?’
I have to and love to…
Different types of written expression are a form of therapy for me. The art of putting words together helps me explain life, with the smaller and larger issues that it brings…
Beyond me… – my intention is to continue using the platform to help others find peace while in a search for entertainment and to find entertainment while in a search for peace…
Thank you for the question. I believe it’s very important to know why we do what we do 🙂
Why do I write? I’ve been writing stories since I could write and before that I dreamed stories, picking up where I left off each night. I had six commissioned non-fiction books published and whatever I was writing about was always in my head when I woke up in the morning. Why do I write? Because I got into the habit of waking and walking to the computer and writing – it’s the reason I get out of bed every day. The catch is I’ve switched from non-fiction to fiction, and its no longer commissioned. I write secretly now because too many people pressured me about publication. They expect me to have a book to show for all the time I say I’ve spent writing. One friend said causticly, ‘The proof is in the pudding.’ Why indeed do I write? Because words, sentences and ideas are always there, wanting to come out. I am a writer.
I write not only to celebrate the beauty of cultural diversity throughout the ages. I write because there are certain emotions that I want you to feel through my words. There is a part of me that longs for that connection. I want to show you, the reader, that through my stories I have captured something that you have been through, something you have survived. Writing about triumph over struggle impresses upon us that as alone as we may feel at times, we can rest assured that there is someone who understands our plight.
I write because I have to. A reader once told me that if I didn’t write, the repressed energy would come out as illness. So I write in order to survive and thrive. The more I write, the happier I am.
I know that feeling and I couldn’t agree more!!
I write because I absolutely love it! The joy of immersing myself, just for while, in a fantasy world where dishy heroes and heart warming romance really does exist. Pleasure and escapism. It’s a bit like experiencing that first love all over again (in case my husband reads this, my real life is lovely too, honest – just not always terribly romantic).
I write because it is a part of me. It is therapeutic, it is creative, it is a way of expressing my thoughts.
I write as a way to survive the madness of this world.
Because everything else – even wonderful things like my beloved children and family reunions – deplete me. Writing fills me back in. I often think I could go on without writing, say in retirement. But I think my general mood and wellness would despair if I did that. I write because I love it. I love how I respond to rejection. I’m so strong! I love how I respond to critique. I’m so insightful and capable! I think I love writing the best because it shows me all I’m capable of. It makes me proud of me.
~MM
Hello, I used to write to raise awareness of International Development issues, international trade law, living with HIV Aids and sometimes peace and reconciliation. Hopefuly in a way that encouraged people to care about what is happening in our world and the world of those most directly affected by these issues…… and maybe even do something, anything to address or confront them. I did this because this was my area of working, I was a Human Rights Advocate working with amazing poeple in sometimes truly terrible situations. I hope my writing ‘worked’ that it did the job it set out to do – sure it did sometimes – I saw tangible results.
Now, I don’t,- now for the first time in my life I am writing fiction and really enjoying it – But I am glad you asked me why – becuase I don’t know – maybe I need work that out .
I write because it is therapeutic for me to unclutter my head and say things on paper. My writing is always compiled from notes and journal entries on whatever is at the forefront of my mind. I always hope that my writing inspires someone else or helps them on some level.
I write because its a compulsion, it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. Sometimes when I have an idea it feels like the characters are telling me their stories in the hope that I will speak (write) for them. Writing soothes me, puts things into perspective and improves my mood. It’s like therapy.
Writing moves my thoughts onto the page, makes the space for thinking in present rather than musing about the past. Sometimes the words are just words, with a routine of writing they can be a beginning and continuation of a poem, an essay, of something.
I write to connect with other people. I am quiet in person but in writing, I can say the things I have to say. When people let me know how my writing has affected them, I am honoured. When I make them laugh (and especially when it’s intentional), it’s even better.
Thank you and happy writing!
I began writing because I wanted to raise awareness of social anxiety. Since then, I’ve learnt a lot about writing. I’ve discovered how satisfying and enjoyable writing can be. I’ve expanded my fields of interest and have written fiction and non-fiction on various themes. But my main goal remains the same: to help people to understand a common but little-known disorder.
I write because it makes me happy.
To crack myself up, to cry and to connect with you all.
Words float through my brain like birds smacking against a wire cage determined to be free. I dream in words, I see in colors, I seek meaning through the writing. I write for me.
I write for two reasons. One is as a kind of therapy for myself. I can vent frustrations in a fight scene or convey inner emotional turmoil in an exchange between characters. The other is to entertain others. Reading was always my favorite form of escape, particularly after a hard day at school or work or with the kids. If the stories and characters I create can offer a few moments of “away” time for someone, I’ve done my job.
There is a story inside me that will not let me rest, and characters who whisper to each other day and night and tug at my leg when they want to play. No, I’m not crazy. I’m a writer.
Yes.
Because there is an n disputable power in words. To write, share, confess and communicate through words is the strongest emotional and enduring link between people. Sometimes the words are perfect, poetic, prolific and sometimes they are dull, lackluster and ordinary but I keep going. There are times when my writing is powerful, poignant and inspiring. Times when I fail to find those words. But I keep going. Because if I don’t get the stories in my head to paper then my life would be a lot less interesting. This is the legacy I leave my child with – not jewels, not money, not palaces but thoughts and words.
Yes.
I write because I have to; it’s a compulsion that I must do in order to get the words, emotions and ideas out of my head. I am happiest when I’m writing as it gives me not only complete freedom (something that other life aspects lack) but also it is something I completely enjoy. From the initial thoughts, through to story boarding and editing. Each process a theraputic necessity!
I wanted to bring attention to the plight of women missing in Mexico’s drug wars. I hoped that a mystery series set in Mexico could take on both current events bring Latino themes into a mainstream genre. The result has been the Emilia Cruz series.
Saludos.
I write to inspire my fellow women. I also write to make them dream the licit way :). By this token, I also get my message across which is we have a Master above us. Simple as that. If you don’t believe, none taken ;).
Papatia Feauxzar.
I write because I want to change the reader in some way. It’s as simple and as compelling as that. I want someone to walk away from reading one of my books thinking differently about life. We live in a complicated world; concepts of right or wrong, good or bad need to be teased out and explored. There are far more areas of grey than many people realize.
I write because it gives me voice. Instead of ignoring and suppressing my thought, my fears. I’m expressing them, accepting them, and learning to deal with them. When I write I am completely myself and my own, my facade fades and it just me.
I write because I was tired of going in bookstores and the books I wanted to read being marketed as if someone that looks like me couldn’t possibly be the hero/heroine. At first it completely turned me off reading and writing fantasy or sci-fi, until I saw there was a market for what I wanted to write and read it just didn’t get the same amount of exposure. I simply got tired of waiting for someone else to write the stories I had ideas for.
Love your comment! I’m half way through a novel about a family of colour. So think positive. We just have to convince the publishers.
I write everyday, one way or another. At work, as a manager, I guide my team through a combination of story telling and written direction and explanation. At home, I guide my kids through stories and when it is just me I write to calm my mind and to challenge myself to capture on paper the noise in my head in a way that is productive. My stories are a way for me to make sense of my worries about the world and what I think it will be like in the future. I hope to publish them one day.
I write because I must. For me writing is a soul consuming urge that has nothing to do with fame; in fact little of my writing sees the light of day. It is cathartic process, a soothing of the beast with in that comes as naturally as breathing.
Yes.
I write to entertain. Our world is scary. There are many distractions, stress and strife. I write to take my reader away from all of that and transform them into my fictional world, so temporarily they are in the character’s world and living vicariously through their experiences. I will state here that I am not published yet but working on my debut novel. The above statement applies to my motivation and hope that my words will be able to achieve that goal.
I write to share. I have read so many stories, essays, poems, novels that have enriched my life, inspired me, comforted me. I want to do the same: help someone, even one person, to know they are not alone. To be able through my writing to let another person see life in a new way, a way that may make their life easier or more meaningful, is my goal. I know that sounds presumptuous, to think that my words have that much power. And maybe they don’t. But because I have gained so much through my reading of others’ works, I will continue to write, and if it touches someone, then that is wonderful.
I write as a method of therapy. I usually create a character similar to myself, have her in a similar situation to the one that I am experiencing and write until I come to a conclusion. I often find that it helps as I am good at giving out advice but I can’t often hear it. This way I am hearing my own advice and applying it to my own issues. I also find that if you write something you are experiencing and have real emotion towards the events in your story, your writing is much stronger, which your readers will love!
Katie
I write to create my own reality for moments at a time. I write because it is my escape and happiness.
Yes.
I write because I have stories only I know, and that I have to tell. I write to entertain, but also to bring attention to issues I think are important. I write to amuse and to make people think. I write because I must.
…because I can’t help it! Because I want to move the world with ideas it may not have thought of. Because of a passion to inspire people out of boxes, beyond labels, and to think and grow and change rather than stay in shoes that cause blisters!
I tell stories, but I’m not very good with people, so I write stories down and send them into the world.
Writing is a great way of expressing wht u think n make people think about what you feel…as for me i am not that expressive with words,but when i write thoughts surround me,i feel like a different person emerging out of me.. Writing makes me feel contented..it completes me !!!
I write to get all the worlds in my head out or they’d leave me no peace. They want to be seen and loved by others. I write to deal with the joys and traumas of my life, to give voice to the things I feel most strongly about.
I write to soothe my soul. I love telling a story, melding in all the characters so it becomes one cohesive piece. When I wrote The Lacemaker’s Daughter, after all the editing, test readers and galley, the moment when the cover arrived
on my computer for the first time, it was a wonderful feeling.
Even better is when I give a ‘reading’ and everybody loves my novel. The notes and emails full of lovely words from readers who have enjoyed the journey back to 1770 Devon, England – there really is nothing like it. If I can take a reader away from their everyday worries and back to that time, and have them enjoy the journey- how very fortunate I am to be able to call myself a writer.
I write because I love words and the stories they can tell. I am passionate about the power of beautiful, well-crafted prose and love both to read it, and to write it. The creative process is hugely enjoyable and satisfying and gives me a space that is entirely my own. When I was younger, I always had aspirations of writing my first novel but was never brave enough to start. Now that I have started, I can’t imagine stopping.
As a disabled young woman, writing gives me the freedom I might not have in my day to day life. It allows me to explore emotions and events and gives me something to feel proud of at the end of a project. Writing is to create and to create is to feel fulfilled.
Wonderful.
Writing means I can escape the day-to-day boring realities, it means I get to see my day dreams, my fantasy on paper, its cathartic, creative and just great fun.
Writing means I can escape the day-to-day boring realities, it means I get to see my day dreams, my fantasy on paper, its cathartic, creative and just great fun.
Well since 5 years of my marriage i,ve been thinking of doing something for myself,not that i want to prove myself or become famous but for my own satisfaction,but i really didn,t know which way to head,than i started,reading books i found myself surrounded with thoughts all day,whether i was busy in my house,or was out somewhere thoughts never left me,as if they were asking me to pen them down on a paper and get a way to express myself,lately i started writing,though i am new to this world,i enjoy writing and have at last found what i wanted to do from a long time,there a long journey ahead,i hope i don’t stop rather keep goin on and achieve a satisfaction.
I write to escape the real world. Even if the worlds I create are just as dark I can at least feel as if I have control so that, even if my writing takes me to a place I didn’t think it would, I can define the characters destiny. I write also to free my imagination, which can be sorely stunted if everything is handed to us in hd, and gives me an opportunity to flex my daydreams to form words on paper paper that I can share.
Sometime I write to be who I am. Sometimes I write to be someone else. The writing that allows me to be someone else is a trick, a shield, and a step into the unknown. The writing that allows me to be who I am is likely better. So far I’m the only judge.
I write because Writing is my Voice. A voice which is constantly whirling inside me and struggling to come out. I feel relieved and light when my thoughts and emotions are out on a paper or on computer screen. i write because i need to.
I began writing to heal, to make sense of everything that had happened to me. Soon it became a therapy, then a hobby and now a career. Writing is now another part of me; just as my hair, my hands, my eyes. It’s like me breathing; I do it everyday, without even really thinking about it.
Writing is an emotional release. My mind is always churning with ideas. Writing organize my thoughts. After a writing session, an enormous amount of pressure is relieved. A feeling of lightness and clarity comes over me. Until the heaviness returns, I’m compelled to write again.
My mind is always churning with ideas. Writing organize my thoughts. It’s also a cleansing process. After a writing session, an enormous amount of pressure is relieved. A feeling of lightness and clarity comes over me.
Until the heaviness in my mind returns. I’m compelled to write again.
I write and speak to encourage others. My goal is always laughter, a few tears and to leave others with something to ponder on. My hope is MY name will be forgotten, but the message of encouragement remembered forever. I write to inspire others that they are never alone in their struggles, whatever they may be.
I write because otherwise my mind would implode from the never-ending tide of dreams and ideas. I am drawn into the past, into worlds once lived by others or perhaps by me, in another time and place. These dreams and ideas are journeys and I see readers as my companions. I want to share my stories with them, educate and interest them in the history-doused pages. I want my readers to be drenched in the atmosphere of my story. I love to write. I have to write.
Why write? Because I can. Because I want to. Because there is no thing, no one, no barrier between me and my thoughts. And if I don’t like writing, I can stop. Writing offers me the ultimate in creative freedom.
And sometimes people tell me that my writing makes them laugh. Which is the best reason of all.
I write stubbornly and often imprudently, because I must. Writing is like breathing. How could we stop breathing?
I write to lose myself and others in a different world. For that one moment it is just us. Whether I make them cry, laugh or sigh in thought. I love knowing I touch something within for that moment. Together we take a journey that was created by a thought that become a new world. For that one moment we are free.
I write first and foremost to know myself. I write in my journal daily to figure out my thoughts, emotions and dreams. Every major life decision was first worked out in the pages of my journal. I then write to share what I’ve learned about myself in a way that I hope will help others. I also write to create change in my community – I’ve had the satisfaction of seeing my writing positively change a school board policy and raise awareness of social justice issues. I believe that in order to change the world, we must first change ourselves. Writing is an important tool for self growth.
You know that smell a new or old book has when it is opened? Sticking my nose deep into the margin and just inhaling…I love that. I remember reading my first, thick novel when I was a young girl. It left me breathless — as though my world ended when the story came to a close. Since that moment, I have wanted to leave someone breathless. I write because I want someone to experience what I experienced. I want to share the lives of my characters and have them touch someone deeply. Cry when they experience sadness. Laugh when they experience joy. Awaken when they experience clarity.
I write because I can’t *not*. Because when I’m not writing it down on paper or typing it up, I’m writing in my head (at its worst when I’m trying to go to sleep but keeping myself awake with a story; at its best in a shower or when new ideas strike when I’m out and about). I don’t have a greater reason than that, just that I have to.
I write out of a fascination with words and other worlds, and because there is a need in me to put ideas onto paper, to inhabit the minds of different characters, and to explore aspects of human nature. I write to change people’s minds, to open their minds up to different cultures and characters through description and detail. I write because I can’t imagine ever not writing. It runs through my veins.
First there’s an idea, something as small as the grain of sand penetraing an oyster. It buzzes around in my head, attracting more and more insides utnil it’s so big it needs an outlet in the form of writing (that goes for the voices in my head belonging to the story as well). Not every idea grows to tha size, but thosr that do are allways about something I feel passiionately about; like belonging, social injustice, people taking chances, getting the hell out of Dodge. I’ve always written. It’s in my DNA.
I write because I have been reading romance for 40+ years and was frustrated with many of the offerings. So I decided to write the kind of book that I wanted to read. Once the concept took off in my head, the imagery and voices took over.
Primarily I write to know and understand; to find answers to my questions, and to hear what I have to say when I am grappling with something difficult or elusive. Writing has become an act of consulting with myself, which probably sounds a bit schizophrenic but there it is anyway. Schizophrenic or not, when in need of finding deeper understanding it seems the blank page is my best friend. Whether I go to it quietly or filled with emotion the blank page speaks back to me with wisdom. I wonder about that a lot. I wonder where that wisdom comes from and how it is even possible to answer one’s own questions? I mean, it seems a little silly doesn’t it… to even bother to ask a question that in the end know we will answer for ourselves? There is an irony there, yet this perspective on and use of writing is invaluable to me. There is so much to be found inside. It reminds me of the day I realized how much more light I see when I close my eyes in meditation. And, because of this, when I avoid the writing and the meditation I now know that am staring a pesky question square in the face: what realization or light am I avoiding now?
Another reason that I write is to share – to give some solidity to what that inner voice has taught me and give it to someone else. I guess it would follow, then, that the more I share the more solid I feel? I’m not sure about that. I have to keep thinking about that one, and if solid is even the goal (and I’m not sure it is) then what kind of solid? Solid as in permanent? Solid as in unshakeable? Solid as in unmistakably present? Solid as in valid? This raises another question – Do other’s picking up what I have set down in words make them (the words) solid, or were they solid to begin with?
Why I write @ http://nipmu.blogspot.com/2013/06/why-i-write.html
Why I write? @ http://nipmu.blogspot.com/2013/06/why-i-write.html
I write because there is something in me that requires I write. And since I am driven to write anyway, I choose to use my writing to try and make a positive impact on the world.
Thank you all so much for the comments! This has been an amazing response. Much thanks to each of you – I look forward to turning your thoughts into a post! – Rachel C Lewis, Editorial Intern
I write to express feelings. I spent a lot of time and energy running from my pain. Then I realized like Einstein’s theory E=Mc2(squared) that it was not gone it just changed. It became anxiety or shoulder pain or a headache. So when I journaled I felt better. I did not figure this out on my own. The God of my understanding gave it to me. It helped me escape and heal and cope. I also write the stuff I want to read. If I sit there and think I could have written this then my next self challenge is then why don’t you? It beats the heck out of complaining for a living. Plus I don’t think anyone would pay me for that.
To seek sense in the nonsense. The world confuses and fascinates me. Writing is both cathartic and exploratory.
This is somewhat a difficult question i havent thought of why i write,i am not a great author,i do not even have my website or blog..
I write for my ownself because it helps me to destress,i love to write i feel good after i write,i like to write stories..i have written few and i am still writing! I write just for myself! 🙂
Or if in future i will publish my own novel then honestly it would be either to inspire the world or to be remembered and for myself ofcourse! 🙂
At first, I had a story in my head that needed to come out. Now, I’m addicted. I can’t not write!
I’m an artist but one day an idea formed that I couldn’t paint. I tried to ignore it until I couldn’t sleep for thinking about it. Once I started to write I couldn’t stop, wanting to keep going until I’d finished. And then, of course, I’d made a hash of it, new ideas forming, new ways of organising it, new characters clamouring to be included.
I think it’s almost done, three years and twenty-ish redrafts on. The driving energy has been desperation to do justice to the theme of mental illness. Also, wanting to not die before I’d written my very best draft! So, I guess pride has been a huge motivator too.
I write because I have to – it’s in me. I was born this way and I can’t describe it any differently. When a story’s under my skin I am possessed by it until I have written it, in whatever form. That said what I write, I am very aware is not neutral. At its core, is the story. I am a storyteller, intensely involved with the characters and the drama. Conflict is central. I want the reader or the audience to be as drawn into the world I’m creating as I am. To be fully immersed. Also, I know I’m subverting the norm, questioning, probing…I hope that the reader looks at the real world around them differently afterwards. I do believe literature is as important, or as unimportant, as a human life. It should take the chance to hold the mirror up to society. There’s no reason it can’t be an amazingly good read at the same time!
Because I need to express myself creatively. Also it’s so much fun creating a story.
I write to inspire others to fully embrace and pursue their fullest potential. My goal is to catapult others in desiring to transform from living an ordinary life to an extraordinary one! I love to share my own daily struggles in life to let others know that they are not alone on their journey and they can have hope for a brighter future.
I write because I love to write and to be creative. I like being able to put down words in a way that will have an effect on the reader. I want to move them, make them laugh, inspire them, make them think. I like the challenge of writing something very short but complete, flash fiction. I write because I want to be read. So I suppose you could say I want to be recognised as a writer. I am not young (60) but I hope there is still plenty of time to fulfil those literary ambitions that I have, a novel, a prizewinning short story, a play, lots of flash, some poetry a screenplay….have I forgotten anything?
I write because I can’t seem to stop myself. I write to learn, to express, to reflect, to communicate. I’ve done it for so long that it’s an integral part of who I am.
As a TV writer for Mary Tyler Moore, Cosby, Lily Tomlin specials, My Sister Sam, and many others, I write to impart my opinions and to make you laugh so hard that you don’t notice I slipped in my philosophy of life.
I write because it’s what I’m supposed to do. Now I’ve found my outlet I’m embracing it. Struggling, but embracing.
I write because I feel compelled to tell the stories which I have inside of me and which live in my imagination.
And the more I write, the more I find myself fascinated by the process of writing. Stories reflect our external and internal worlds, as well as our hopes and fears. We can learn from, and be inspired by, a great story.
Transforming ideas and thoughts into a concrete form such as a novel, short story or poem, which then lives again in readers’ imaginations is, for me, a fascinating and fantastic goal.
I write because I feel compelled to tell the stories that I have inside of me and which live in my imagination.
I also find the more I write, the more fascinated I become with the process of writing. Stories reflect our external and internal worlds as well as our hopes and fears. We can learn from, and be inspired by, a great story.
Transforming ideas and thoughts into a concrete form such as a novel, short story or poem, which then lives again in readers’ imaginations is, for me, a fascinating and fantastic goal.
Why do I write? Simple. Because I have to.
I’ve been telling stories since early childhood, and started writing them down at age 10. Now, in midlife, I’m still telling stories. Most are true, a few are fiction, all are from the heart.
I write to manage and organise the ideas and internal dialogues that swirl around my head. Expressing them in writing creates a sense of order. For me, it’s also a less confrontational way of sharing ideas and opinions than doing so in person. Being slightly reticent, and uncomfortable with shouting my opinions out loud, writing is a way of being heard. Of course whilst it feels safer than voicing them lout loud in conversation, the flip side is that once they’re out there, I can’t take them back, disown them, pretend I meant something else or modify my opinions to follow the trend… should that be my inclination. Ultimately writing is a method of connecting, and sharing, which is a fundamental human drive… and yes, I’ll admit it… a way of being remembered.
Why do I write? It never occurred to me NOT to …
Writing is a compulsion for me, but where does that force within come from, I wonder. I’ve never tried to explain it before, but perhaps it stems from reading. Librarians and teachers of literacy often express a desire for youngsters to “discover the joys of reading”. I’m guessing that joy of reading is behind my urge to write.
It is not a desire to recreate the great writers (as if) but to recreate the feeling reading those writers gave me, of entering a different world, a subconscious world, an imaginary world . From those earliest days of my own literacy, I was able to enter other lives, whether it be from the simple story lines and characters of school books to my mother’s magazines which seemed always to feature stories about exotic lives lived on tea plantations in Ceylon or India. Reading was mind expanding and other worldly. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, read as a child in Australia, opened a door to the world that has never been shut, as did Heidi, the story of the little girl who lives with her grandfather in the Swiss Alps.
In retrospect, the revelation of the inner lives of those and other characters, had a profound impact and influences the way I write and what I write about.
Then there is inspiration. When I first read Faulkner’s, The Sound and the Fury, I remember closing the last page and thinking, wow, how did he do that. It was one of those profoundly moving novels that imprint themselves on the psyche; long after you’ve forgotten the plot details, you remember that moment of revelation; this writer is different to everyone I have read before. I think it inspired me in many ways to want to be a writer. Not so much to “write” like Faulkner, but to recreate the moment. It’s hard to explain.
Writers come fairly quickly to the realisation they will not reach parity with the great writers of literature, but that doesn’t stop them persisting, perhaps in a desire to find “the moment” or in an attempt to clarify their thoughts. As Faulkner said, ”I never know what I think about something until I read what I’ve written on it.”
I write to help me make sense of the world around me and filter the myriad of human experiences. Once in written form, I can achieve a sense of fulfilment, understanding and even peace.
To share. Because I am excited by ideas, knowledge, the world and want to share the excitement and wonder and insights. I write non-fiction, and children’s fiction. I feel strongly that people should be empowered by having knowledge available to them. By showing children that their experiences fit into a larger pattern and they are not isolated with their feelings, that can empower and comform and help them to grow. So it works for non-fiction and fiction in only very slightly different ways.