Every day I post a new quote about writing. The quotes come from famous screenwriters, novelists, poets, and each writer has different ideas about the craft of writing. But there’s one thing that they all agree upon: Writing is hard work.
No one gets into this gig because they think it will be an easy way to turn a quick buck (or if they do think that, they’re quickly corrected.) So why do we write? What could possibly possess us to sit down in front of our laptops or notepads and suffer day after day?
There’s no single reason, and your reason might change from project to project. Whatever you’re working on today, if you’re having trouble getting motivated, here are just a few reasons to push forward.
Reasons to Write
- Because someone’s paying you to
- Because no one has paid you to yet, and you’d like that to change
- To get better at it
- To share your story
- To exorcise your demons
- To express an opinion
- To prove something to yourself
- To explore a new idea
- To see what you’re capable of
- For those rare moments of genius that surprise even yourself
- To finish a draft
- For that moment of feeling completely satisfied with what you’ve finished, if only for a moment
- So that you can start rewriting
- For the praise of others
- For respect
- For self-respect
- For the elation of finding the perfect word or crafting the perfect scene
- To make someone laugh
- To make someone cry
- Because language is a wonderful thing to play with
- So you have something to show when someone asks what you’re working on
- Because it’s therapeutic
- Because it’s rewarding
- Because you call yourself a writer
- Because you’re an artist, and try as you might, you can’t change that
- Because you can do better
- Because that villain you dreamed up needs a hero to fight
- Because you had an experience that needs sharing
- To honor someone or something you love
- To tear down something you despise
- To make the world a better place
- To make a hefty pay check
- To play out your fantasies
- To have an adventure
- Because you can’t imagine any pursuit more worthy of your time, energy, and creative power
This list is far from complete. Share your thoughts in the comments: What are some of the reasons why you write?
