Why write?

I admit I've not given this a lot of thought, but a recent debate here prompted me to consider why it is people do this writing thing, particularly of novels. Any number of sites and articles expound on the painful nature of our chosen work and suggest mental illness must be involved.

Is this in fact the case? Are we all nuts, deranged, naive or misled?

I am confidant that we can keep this civil and not imply that any one reason is better or worse than another for writing a novel. I am in fact really curious what leads you all to keep at it, trying to finish, trying to improve, trying to sell your work, fighting the odds, etc - need I go on?

The options here only gave me 5 choices, and I just picked 5 at random, I'm sure I've overlooked the obvious. I hope people will feel free to click more than one choice or none and rant at length on why I've forgotten their particular reason, or why the poll makes no sense and we need no reasons for what we do. Anyway, carry on.

I clicked "job" and "challenge", though neither of these really fits.

I've thought about this a lot over the years--which, I've concluded, is a complete waste of time, because in many ways this is an unanswerable question. The best answer I can come up with is that writing is the only thing that utterly engages me, and I love that sense of total immersion. It's also the only thing in my life where I can't do less than my absolute best. That's really important to me, as in the rest of my life I'm pretty prone to laziness and compromise.

Definitely not the same as having fun, though.

- Victoria

I clicked "I've got things to say."

I also enjoy making people smile. I feel good when I hear I've brought a chuckle to someone who was otherwise having a bad day. If I can also occasionally make them think, nod, frown, get misty-eyed, feel entertained or maybe even learn something; well that's all good too.

It's the voices in my head thing, Frank. No doubt.

Anyone who knows me knows I have way to much to say. Way too much.

Way too much.

I'm going to say it's the voices in my head that have too much to say. Not me, nope, just the voices in my head.:snoopy

"things to say" I voted. though I lingered over the button about voices in my head

I think it must be true that we are all a little crazy. Not in the "lock me up, I'm a danger to society" kind of crazy, but maybe just a little "disturbed". In the sense that we've seen things that maybe other people haven't, of that we at least noticed those things more. And those disturbances call us to write. About the sadnesses and injustices and trials and hope - and if we couldn't get all of those things out onto paper, I think we would be really crazy.

None of these options apply to me.

You need an option that says something like--For the groupies.

Yeah I was realizing that I forgot the most glaringly obvious - for the fame and wealth, of course, silly me.

Ah well, is nobody going for "fun"? I think it's fun, but maybe that's the real indication that I'm sick in the head. I'm sure some people think climbing Denali is fun too.

Voices

It's the voices--they whisper to me all the time and the only way to shut them up is to tell their story.

Shawn

Re: Voices

I'm glad I'm not the only one hearing voices...

Though an "all of the above" button would have got my click otherwise.

None of those apply. It's not my job. I don't have voices in my head. I don't particularly find it fun. I have never liked challenges. And I really don't have things to say.

I write because I'm compelled to. I've tried to stop and ignore the compulsion, but it keeps coming back and forcing me to jot things down. I was actually successful in denying it for something like 5 years or so. I didn't write down a thing, kept it all in my head hoping I'd forget, but it erupted one day and actually forced me to write a complete novel.

To live out all the things I may not necessarily be able to do or that are impossible to do in this life.

To create heroines that aren't wearing high heels when they get chased so they fall and sprain their ankles, or try to run to the roof of the building to escape (where the always get trapped).

To clear the clutter in my brain, 'cause once it's down on paper, I don't have to think about it anymore.

The voices in my head told me it would be a fun, challenging job. I've got things to say - to them, like;

If it's fun, can you explain the inspiration to persperation ratio?

Where's the line between challenging and gruelling?

If it's a job, where's my weekly paycheck?

Is it safe to not only listen to the voices in your head, but to do what they say?

Can you clearly say to me why I took this job in the first place, and why I won't give it up?

My writing partner says it well. "I write because it hurts to much not to." Yep, that makes sense to me, too!

None of the above.

Perhaps because 'I wan't it to be my job'

but why do I want it to be my job, fun, challenge, looking cool to my friends?

I write from vanity.

I've found that writing down all those voices in my head is much more therapeutic than talking back.

for me, what's missing in your choices is, 'for the same reason i breathe!'

Job, voices and challenge

I clicked "voices in my head" because it's more or less true. Five years ago I was a happy good-for-nothing and didn't even think about starting a writing career (well, maybe "one day when I retire"). Then this idea for a novel hit my head really hard. It was (and still is) such a great idea that it felt as if God missed the right head and it ended up in mine instead of hitting the head of some prominent professional author. Well, I felt sort of obliged to write the book. I took courses and workshops, simply intending to write this book one day. As a side effect, I became a professional non-fiction writer, writing started to pay my bills and in the meantime I worked on the book. It's still not completely finished (which isn't a terrible thing considering five years ago I couldn't write one word professionally--my first story was laughable), but it keeps growing and developing -- and it's thanks to this mad "voice from heaven" or wherever that I started writing at all. So yes, writing IS my job, I do hear voices in my head and it's also a constant challenge because I'm still a newbie and I keep learning.

Really, there can't be just one choice! Thank you, Pina, for the great poll!

Fresie

Why write

Why not?

For me, all the reasons stated. And due to many losses and tragedies in a short period of my life, I've endured a Dark Night of the Soul in which I learned I am a messenger for those in my heritage who for, various reasons, either couldn't speak up or didn't.

Writing Anonymous

I write because I want to sell my novels and make enough money to write full time.
I write to build a new career as a novelist.
:hat

why?

Well, I worte my first short tsory with the idea of making some spare money. I did. But I also found I greatly enjoyed the process of writing.

In the end, I write because I enjoy writing more than just about anythng else I can do with my time, I write because I found I'm pretty good at it, and I write because writing is better than not writing. It's also my job, but wouldn;t be if not for the first three reasons.

Re: why?

Of course, if I didn't enjoy it, I would not try doing my best for it.

I also believe that in order to reach a professional level in writing, one has to treat writing professionally (and I mean to treat it like a job).

job

Treating writing like a job from the start certainly makes success far easier and far quicker.