“Why do you like writing?”
This is a question someone asked me a few weeks ago. It’s a question I used to ask myself too. A long time ago.
Writing is not an easy task even if you have a natural talent for it.
On any given day, you can sit in front of a laptop and stare at a blank screen until blood starts to gather at your temples in desperation yet one word might not come out.
On days when the words do come out, they can read to you like the rantings of a lunatic.
When you’re fed up of all that shit, you slam your laptop shut and swear never to write again.
Except the next day, you’re back to staring at your blank screen. It begs the question, why would any sane person choose to write?
It is a solitary hobby that racks your brain and taxes your imagination to the max, and this is just on the first draft.
The rewrites are more painful. I think Nathaniel Hawthorne summed it up best when he said, “Easy reading is damn hard writing.”
Done With Writing!
A few years ago, I decided I’d had enough of the blood, sweat, tears, and horror of getting the words out on paper.
I remember thinking to myself, “I have got to have a talent for something else because if I was any good at this, it wouldn’t be this hard.”
So I catapulted myself into a quest. I signed up for a personality test.
The test – they put you put through several steps to enter your personality traits and a bunch of other questions.
The promise – the computer would spit out the top 3 professions suitable for someone like you.
Eureka! Like magic, I would find my purpose!
I launched into the test with gusto. When I was done, the screen floated a message informing me my top 3 professions would be in my inbox within the hour.
I twiddled my fingers and waited with much anticipation for the email that would rescue me from this torturous writing world.
A little sound from my computer notified me I’d received a message. With a shaky hand, I clicked it, and …. my jaw fell flat.
Would you believe the no 1 profession on the list was Writer?
No 2 was project management, which was already my full-time job in and no 3 was something about organizational strategy.
I logged out of my stupid inbox and went back to my blank screen.
I realized I write because I can’t not write. Writing for me is like breathing. It is how I find myself. Without writing, I would be lost.
Writing has, literally, saved my life before (This is a story for another day).
My website header says it best – “On my paper, in my words; I find peace, I find solace, I find me.”
Also, there’s a little matter of the crazy lady in my head. She won’t leave me alone. Ever. Even when I’m ready to give up. I talked about her HERE.
Below are reasons some professional writers have given for why they write/wrote:-
Why Do You Write Quotes
“I write because I don’t know what I think until I read what I say.” – Flannery O’Connor
“I don’t remember deciding to become a writer. You decide to become a dentist or a postman. For me, writing is like being gay. You finally admit that this is who you are, you come out and hope that no one runs away.” – Mark Haddon
“Any writer worth his salt writes to please himself…It’s a self-exploratory operation that is endless. An exorcism of not necessarily his demon, but of his divine discontent.” – Harper Lee
“That’s why I write, because life never works except in retrospect. You can’t control life, at least you can control your version.” – Chuck Palahniuk
“Writing eases my suffering . . . writing is my way of reaffirming my own existence.” – Gao Xingjian
“Writing is the only thing that, when I do it, I don’t feel I should be doing something else.” – Gloria Steinem
“I just knew there were stories I wanted to tell.” – Octavia E. Butler
You can download free desktop wallpapers with these quotes HERE. Brighten up your desktop and stay motivated on your writing journey.
Do you know why you write? Share in the comments section.
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