Why do you write?

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Radhika

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I searched for this, but got pages upon pages of results that I didn't really get anything with. I've left my passion of writing to focus on school, and in the midst of my insomnia this morning, I came across a brilliant idea for writing.

The problem is though, after so many months, I have that drive from an idea, but my practical mind is going - Why? What's the point? I lost that reason. So, I came here to ask the writers.
 

Guerrien

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I write because, in one form or another, I've written nearly every day since I was fifteen. That's eight years. Even before then, I never really questioned that I was going to write. Heck, before I could write, I'd dictate My Little Pony stories for my Granda to write down. Not all of it's been with the goal of getting published. Most of it hasn't, actually. A lot of it hasn't even been novels.

I found it difficult to progress to the idea of writing novels (I'd been on a written RPG board for a while at the time, and had gotten used to writing in bite-sized increments). But I had ideas, and I knew that was what I ultimately wanted to do. I think the beginning is a matter of self-discipline. If you know you want to, do it. For me, writing is entirely a muscle. When you make it do something it's not used to doing, it hurts in the beginning. But it gets easier.
 

CrastersBabies

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I write because I want to tell a story and I want others to read that story.
I write because it's fun and I feel like I'm okay at what I do.
Sometimes, I wonder if it's not necessarily about why I want to write but more about the fact that if I didn't write, I would be very unhappy. I can't NOT write. It really is an obsession.
 

PEBKAC2

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I write at work because I get paid to. I write outside work because it can be fun. But either way it's work. If I only wrote when I was inspired or when I felt passionate about it, I wouldn't have my job very long.
 
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Money.

All these ideas must be in my head for a reason.

Self-expression.

There are so many shitty erotic romances out there that I want to prove they can be written well. Erotica has a bad reputation that is well-deserved in many cases. It's dismissed with a casual, "Oh well, it's only a sex book," as if character development and consistency, logical plot progression and lyrical prose don't matter. Writers of it are lazy and readers of it don't demand quality. I want to raise the bar.

And...now, something exists that wasn't here before I came.
 

seun

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I don't appear to be too bad at it.

I love stories.

I can make a few quid from it.

There's nothing on telly I want to watch.
 

underthecity

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I wonder the same thing about myself. I like to think I'm good at it, but not great at it yet. I have to keep working on it every day. And in the end, it may never get published. I've got one trunk novel already. I hope this one won't be either.

Then sometimes I get all frustrated and say, "Why am I doing this?" And the answer is like pretty much all writers: I want to be published. I have a story to share that I think other people are going to like. And with enough work, I think I'm pretty good at writing.
 

slashedkaze

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To be honest, most of the time I write to distract myself from whatever else is going on in my life. I find creative work to be a great stress relief. Other than that, because I love my characters and they won't leave my head.
 

Jamesaritchie

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1. Money. 2. Because it's a fun way to make money.
 

CaroGirl

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I enjoy doing it, I think I'm good at it and I hope to make money at it someday soon. But I'm not quitting my day job.
 

Rhoda Nightingale

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Because the plot bunnies would eat my brain if I didn't.
 

jimbro

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How else am I supposed to get rid of all this damn ink?

That's the flippant answer I always give, but a more serious reason may boil down to ego: I think I have a story (or two) to tell that I think someone else will enjoy. Many other authors (many long dead) were kind enough to share their stories with me, and I hope to find one or two readers who will read my stories and be glad they did.

This real reason is simultaneously both selfish (I think my story is worthwhile) and selfless (I want to make some reader happy). I think this reason is common to nearly all writers.
 

randi.lee

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I've been thinking of this question since the thread began and I can't come up with one concrete answer. I write for many reasons: I love it, it makes me happy, it's an amazing stress reliever, I want to solicit emotions from my readers and give them something to relate to, I love telling stories, my head is full of dreams, thoughts and fantasies I want to express, it allows me to tap into my creative juices and many more.

As I read this back, I think I've discovered the most important reason: It makes me happy.
 

Richard White

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I'm a storyteller.

But, if I want more than just my family to hear my stories, I have to have some way to get it out there.

And to be honest, just showing up on people's doorsteps offering to tell stories tends to encourage restraining orders. *grin*

So, the best way to get into their houses is to write a book that they want to take home.
 

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Because I have a certain fondness for regular meals, electricity, and hot and cold running water.
 

KathleenD

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Money.

A bit more seriously, but not unrelated: "Writer" is one of the very, very few jobs that rewards discipline without strangling creativity...and without requiring any startup costs more complicated than a notebook and a pen. The apprenticeship phase is crazy long, though.
 

ironmikezero

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I write because it's fun and personally satisfying. I count myself lucky because my wife writes and feels the same way. We thoroughly enjoy collaborating on stories. There is no doubt that our blended creativity has taken us along paths of inspiration I would have most likely missed.

Money isn't, and never was, a consideration, which seems to surprise a fair number of our friends. We're happy with the status quo.
 

robjvargas

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I searched for this, but got pages upon pages of results that I didn't really get anything with. I've left my passion of writing to focus on school, and in the midst of my insomnia this morning, I came across a brilliant idea for writing.

The problem is though, after so many months, I have that drive from an idea, but my practical mind is going - Why? What's the point? I lost that reason. So, I came here to ask the writers.

Some typical "writer" reasons given. Good ones all, I think. Here's a thought:

Did you stop walking to concentrate on school? Do you not play *any* sport any longer?

Or how about the converse of your argument? If you love writing, don't you think you're in danger of resenting school for denying you something you love, something that, arguably, actually helps you in school?

"Concentrate" and "exclusive" aren't necessarily synonyms.
 

Jake.C

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Because, as a reader, I know what books can do to people.
 
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