Why We Write

Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. NovelPad, a 2021 NaNoWriMo sponsor, is an effortless novel editor, designed for you. Today, NovelPad community member Nathaniel George is here to some insight on why we writers choose to tell stories:

As writers, we’re charged with capturing a picture that only exists in our imagination. We assemble prose and metaphor in ways that allow another human to share in our vision. We endeavor to perform nothing short of witchcraft, the spells we cast being sent into the universe, seeking a worthy vessel.

At NovelPad we set out to create the best writing experience possible, and this aim has shaped everything we’ve built. We wanted to make a writing tool that is effortless for anyone by organizing the characters, ideas, and places so a writer can focus on the story itself. With NovelPad, anyone can get started writing and see their story through to the end.

We believe writing is as fundamental as breathing and is an integral part of the human experience. As we near the next session of Camp NaNoWriMo, we thought it worthwhile to remind ourselves of the importance of writing and our value as writers.

Writing on purpose

Humans are obsessed with numbers. This is not a recent phenomenon, as counting has been with us long before the first writing system. Counting as a measure of success is ingrained in everything we do. Got a raise at work? That’s a promotion. Want to get in shape? Work out for 30 minutes at least 3 times a day, lose 10 kilos, and run 8 km. Want to be famous? You need more likes, more followers. Want to be a writer? Spend at least an hour a day, finish 2 chapters this month, and write at least 12,000 words a week.

As Wrimos our goals are clearly laid out before us, meant to challenge and motivate us. But achieving writing goals isn’t the purpose of writing. The chief purpose of writing is much more profound than that: In all of human history, the existence of life, and the universe itself, you are the singular source for the story you have to tell.

We’re tempted to think that success is only measured by copies sold, awards received, or number of published titles. These are laudable achievements for which anyone should be proud. But do not lose sight of the value your story adds to the human experience. It is an irreplaceable narrative that can only come from you.

Time Travelers

In the 3rd Millennium BCE, a king named Shuruppag thought his son should have the benefit of his wisdom. His fatherly advice is some of the oldest writing in existence. But despite 5000 years of time, we can read what he had to say, and for a moment see the world through his eyes. One of his last lines seems almost prescient: 

“It is inconceivable that something is lost forever.”

—The instructions of Shuruppag, line 264

Writing is our only shot at immortality. It is the only way we can reach through time and be heard as clearly as we are today. I doubt that the king could have understood how far into the future he was casting his guidance, but even today his proverbs have value. As you prepare for NaNoWriMo, understand this superpower that you wield, and use it to broadcast your voice into the future.

Never Not Writing

Writing consistently can be a daunting prospect as we move through our lives. The stresses of life, family, relationships, and finances don’t exactly create an ideal space for us to put pen to paper. But writing is not the mechanical act of putting down words. Writing is storytelling. It’s creating a world in imagination and bringing those characters and places to life. Sometimes the worlds we create consume our attention, a distraction from our day-to-day life. Other times we conceal them in our sub-conscience, in safe-keeping for their due time.

Writing is a uniquely human behavior. We create characters with our imagination and give them complex emotions, dreams, and fears. These feelings can be as real to us as our own because ultimately, they are our own experiences. Writing allows us to explore parts of ourselves that otherwise would stay buried, and it enables us to empathize with those around us. We write because it offers each of us a way to make sense of the world. It’s like a reflex that our brains have learned to use for understanding each other. The stories are there no matter what we do. Our only decision is whether we offer them up for others to see.

Writing is a part of the human experience, and it offers us responsibility, power, and rewards in vast amounts. Whether this is your first time or a lifelong passion, every story holds immeasurable value for you, for us, for all humankind. At NovelPad we hope you will share your story because with it, the world is a bit better off.

Nathaniel is an avid author and one of the first ever users of NovelPad. You’ll find him, when he’s not writing that is, helping other writers in the NovelPad community along their journey to reaching their writing goals.