Why We Write

Writing is often a discouraging, overwhelming, and intimidating task. So, why do we subject ourselves to do what I'm describing as being seemingly akin to torture?

Simply, many of us feel driven. It can be a stirring, like a gentle nudge, that we feel deep within us that compels us to lift the pen on occasion. Or, in contrast, it can be a constant inner nagging that makes the writing project feel more time pressing than a to-do list.

Human kind may have first developed writing for the basic function of communication. But writing has evolved to include the task of passing on knowledge or ideas, telling a story, recording events, and expressing emotions or thoughts.

Some people write because they have something they wish to say or to persuade others to believe. Authors can also become immortalized by their writing. As long as you have a novel gathering dust on a book shelf, you will live forever.

Of course, money can be a motivating factor--although I'd rather read a memo than a story written without passion.

For me, I've enjoyed writing since I was a child. I've advanced from crude drawings and misspelled words in little green notebooks to my first real attempt at writing a novel.

It is important to know why you are writing. If there isn't a reason to write it, then there isn't a reason to read it.