Why Do You Write?

My reply earlier to Wanda under the You Know What's Cool? post poses a question we've (Ken and I) asked and been asked, whether by members of our writer's critique group, readers of our work (yes, believe it or not, they're out there), librarians, teachers, etc. It's an age-old question, to be sure, but it's never really that old.

Why do you write?

or, similarly

For whom do you write?

At one time, I thought the answer to the first question was: because I have to. That's not really the case, though, if I want to be honest. For others, maybe, but not me. Time and life shot holes through the sack in which I held that answer. My answer to the second question is: it depends.

The answers are going to differ for individuals, because we're just that, and in my opinion, there's not a wrong answer. There's only a right answer for you.

Right now, as far as blogging, I'm writing -- so far as I can tell -- for four people: Doug, Wanda, Kevin, and me. And, right now, that's good enough for me. Will it be tomorrow? Probably? Next week? Still probably. Two months from now... unless I'm really feeling the therapeutic vibe, I'm guessing not. I'm hoping for a wider audience, although I'm sure it'll still be a somewhat intimate and esoteric group. What that says about me, I'm not sure. One thing I am sure about is that blogging isn't just writing. Writing's a part of it, but in general, it seems more a sharing, at least for me. And then, the quick pat-on-the-back that even an average-to-above-average post, to generous crowds like the ones that have always inhabited the Realm, might elicit should never be underestimated. One of my tragic flaws is liking to be liked. Heck, you don't really even have to like me. Just blow a little smoke up around my hind parts, and I'm all smiles. Ah, now the secret's out. That's why I blog.

With novel writing, especially when I work with Ken, it's different. A lot different. For that, I write because I love the story we're telling, and that's really the only reason. When you invest the time and your self into a story, the story's the thing. And you -- and if you write with a partner, then the both of you -- have to be loving your creation, be more than satisfied with it, and throw yourself fully into it with only a passing regard at most as to how others are going to be struck by it. Plus, the story has a life of its own that is tough to describe, but it still has to be worked, molded, remolded over and over by its author(s) all the while weaving its own tapestry. It's work. It really is. It's the kind of work I want to do, though. And when it's complete and I love it, while I hope others will read and like the work, that really doesn't matter so much. Crown of the Summerhavens and Dorkman taught me that. With the literally dozens of people that have read the Crown manuscript and the hundreds that have read Dorkman, I know we always hoped (and still hope) for more. However, none of that matters in the end. The only thing that matters is that Ken and I love those works with a passion and think they're the goods. With The Legend Hunters (The Eyes of Nimrod) stuff were working on now, it's the same deal. So why do I write? That's why I write.

What about you? I'm wagering that everyone that comes to this site, whether past commenter or lurker (do we even have those here? methinks not), is likely a writer in some regard. So tell us. Why do you write? And for whom?