"I can't NOT do it."
"Writing is like breathing."
"I have a story to tell."
Frankly, I see it as raw talent completely within my control to screw up, polish, excel at and enjoy. It's empowerment. God (or the power you believe in) gave me a seed of desire to write, then cast me into the world to see what I'd do with it. If I lost everything in my life, I could still write. That makes it a friend, a close one. Yeah, I feel all those cliche sayings above, but writing is more than that. It's a huge guide through my life.
Grant Snyder, www.incidentalcomics.com , addressed ambition in an infographic comic. I easily equated it to why we write. To paraphrase:
We love what we do. We work hard at it, growing it, becoming recognized for it. Competition challenges us, sometimes instilling self-doubt. We worry, we struggle, and if we're dedicated, we grow into a bigger force. And sometimes we lose control of it, or take the wrong path with it . . . and we crash. You're left with one thing . . . the ambition that started you going in the first place.
Like that one friend that sticks by you through thick and thin . . . you always have writing.
Now . . . why do you write?
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(For more on Grant Snyder:
Twitter - @grantdraws
Facebook - Incidental Comics
Tumblr - Incidental Comics )
10 comments:
Hegel said, "Happiness is the expression of self." I'm happier when I'm writing or have written well. It's pretty much that simple. Besides, I want to be heard. My travel, history, and fiction writing all express different parts of my personality and worldview. I have to do all of them to be happy.
Yes, I like that, Sean. I'm happiest when I'm writing or have written well. That plain and simple.
The evolution of a piece keeps me writing. Seeing a story or essay or (yikes!) novel go from a steaming pile of poop to something that makes people laugh or cry...That's why I write.
I write to let the crazy out. Kind of like a steaming pile of poop. Thanks, Sioux, for lending me that description.
I write because the characters in my head won't let me not write. I've tried to stop but that gets them worked up and they tend to be a bit rowdy. They quiet down once the words start flowing.
Wow! I almost feel base saying this but at the moment I write for money. I put my dreams on hold for much of my life supporting my family and taking the 'secure' route of college teaching. Well, a year and a half ago I found out just how secure that route is. I went to India on a Fulbright scholarship and while I was gone I was basically 'ousted' from the college where I had been working. I came back to no job in a town of less than 10,000 and had to take a $12 an hour job as a newspaper reporter. I was devastated and demoralized every time I got a pay check and it wasn't enough to pay my bills. I finally quit, and have an online teaching gig (for a different college), so I'm able to at least pay my bills while I get on my freelancing feet. So I guess I write because, while I can't trust the world of employment, I can trust my abilities as a writer to give me a decent income. I hope this didn't come off as a tirade but your post really struck a chord!
Jordan
I so get that! But what you've done is developed a talent that you can trust to take care of you in your life. And to enjoy doing it at the same time? That's such a win-win! No...not a rant. (Though I'd be pissed if I came back from something as prestigious as a Fulbright only to find my job gone. Wow. That's low.)
But I see you're bouncing back. Good luck in the journey.
This is awesome!
Though it hurts to write, it is desolate to say nothing. I write because I am drawn, moved, or hurt. The draw aches but it is a compelling voice that haunts me. I can hide from the voice, I can hush it, crush it for years... But it always summons, telling me that there is no silence when there is a tale to tell.
Though it hurts to write, it is desolate to say nothing. I write because I am drawn, moved, or hurt. The draw aches but it is a compelling voice that haunts me. I can hide from the voice, I can hush it, crush it for years... But it always summons, telling me that there is no silence when there is a tale to tell.
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