Why do I write? For some reason I'm in a nostalgic mood today, thinking about how far I've come in this journey (and yes, how far I still have to go), and it got me thinking about that question. Why do I write? With all the ups and downs and craziness of this business (and the sometimes sluggish pace, I might add), why do I keep at it?
I write because I love it. I always have, and I always will. I've written for as long as I can remember. Sometimes I have three stories running in my mind at once, sometimes I hit a dry spell and take a step back (although, not so much anymore, I usually make myself write through the dry spells now that I'm making it my career). But no matter what, I always come back to it. Whether my break was a day, a few weeks, or even a couple of years (like right after I got married and was worried my hubby would think I was nuts if I went and sat down in front of a computer for hours on end to "write a book").
Thankfully, one day, about six months after the birth of our first son, he asked me if there was anything I wish I could do if I had some extra time. He wanted to know something that I loved and wanted to do that I might be missing since getting married/having a child. I immediately told him I missed writing.
I explained how much I loved it, that I'd written more than twenty books throughout my life, and that I really, really missed sitting down with pen and paper (or at my computer) and writing a story. He was pretty surprised. He knew I "liked writing" but I'd never really admitted that I had two bins full of notebooks and printed "manuscripts" (if you could even call them that), hiding at my parent's house. There were even two I wrote in high school that I liked enough to three-hole punch and put in folders. Giving them the appearance of a real book to let family and very close friends read. (Oh yes, I still have those beat up folders. Not sure I'd ever let someone read any of those stories again though--at least, not without a MAJOR editing/rewrite job. )
Instead of laughing his head off at me, my DH immediately told me I should write again. He said he was taking our little boy and would let me have a few hours at least once a week to let me write.
Isn't he amazing? I love my husband and am so grateful for his support and belief in me. I started writing again that very afternoon.
So, why do you write?
8 comments:
Your dh is amazing! I never really understood how essential it is for me to write and how desperate I am for my dh to realize that. But he does, and those moments when he realizes I didn't have a single moment to write and offers to take the kids out for a few hours - I fall right back in love with him ;)
But to your question - I write because it fulfills me in a way I didn't think possible. I write because I can, because I know that I'm good at it. Its that one area in my life that I have control over.
why do i write? because i'm a sucker for self-inflicted pain, self-loathing and rejection.
it calls to me even when i've sworn it off forever. it beckons to me while i eat, sleep and breathe.
ironically, the one thing i can't escape, IS my escape.
Oh it's so great that he was so supportive!
I definitely write for the same reasons. It seems that I can't NOT. I feel something very tangible is missing when I take a break.
I was in sort of a nostalgic mood this week, too, so I totally get it :)
It's great to have so much support. I feel the same. I love it (even when I think I hate it) and I can't quit (even when I think I want to).
First off, thank you for the sweet, sweet comment today. It's nice to know others go through pregnancy problems too. I know it will all be worth it in a few months.
And second, I'm so impressed that you wrote 20 books before you were married! Holy smokes, that is a lot. I didn't even start writing until after I had my 3rd baby. I think I mostly do it because it's a good mind exercise. Working out stories and finding the words to convey them reminds me that I still have a brain. :)
I'm so impressed that your husband is so supportive. That is very cool!
I write, because I just can't stop. =)
Because its a way for people to see just how deep the waters go in me. I'm normally a very shy and introverted person, except when it comes to my writing. It is a way to express thoughts and emotions that otherwise would remain hidden.
I write because if I don't the characters in my head won't let me sleep. They can be so pushy. Sheesh. And because it's who I am. Just a bunch of words spinning in my head.
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