Why do we write?

When I tell someone that I'm a writer, most people frown at me and say, "Wuh?". Others criticize the amount of time that I spend on my laptop (which is probably legitimate). It always leads me to the question: Why do I do what I do? Why do I write? Why do WE write?

Ever since creation, people have been writing, telling their stories in one way or another. Even when certain writers are outlawed or band from publishing their work, there are still writers. Here are just a few of my thoughts on the subject.

We write to understand. Writers, or at least good writers, question, ponder, don't accept the easy answer. They explore the subject and look at both sides of the story. By writing they discover the truth, or what they believe to be the truth. When we write, it reveals things to us that we've never fully understood before. And the experience, if you've ever had it, is exhilarating. We are discovery junkies, like the early explorers. Writers have to question and challenge in order to add conflict and doubt to their story. I believe, personally, that writing can give you a better understanding of yourself, of others, and of the world around you.

We write to fight. It amazes me that throughout history people will write in order to take part in the battle going on around them. They publish themselves to get their opinion out, propaganda or not. Take for example Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Her writing affected the nation in many ways. So many people fight with a pen rather than a sword because they have leaned the power that words have. Sometimes words are more effective than a sword could ever be.

We write because we have to. I don't know about you, but if I didn't write I would have...problems. As a child, I always had an extremely active imagination. Lying in bed at night, I would make up stories in my head. A lot of time was spent daydreaming and roleplaying with neighbor kids. But that was never enough. I never found a satisfaction for my imagination until I finally started writing. It is a way to free ourselves, to empty ourselves. I think that (in a lot of cases) a writer becomes more observant of the world around them. Think about it. They must have very active minds all the time, searching for inspiration, watching people, listening to them talk, absorbing all that to use for writing. I'm not saying that writers are better. What I'm trying to say is that writing just has so many benefits. I think that it helps us in many ways. If used right, it teaches, it challenges, it trains.

And that's why I love it.

Any more thoughts? Please comment below!

I also wanted to say that I have submitted my writing to Inkitt for a Science Fiction story contest. You can read my story, Cyborg, for free at this link: http://www.inkitt.com/stories/15856   I would greatly appreciate a review or a vote.

Thanks so much!

 

I believe that the pen does too.