I Write Because

What follows is an exercise straight from Priscilla Long's Art of the Sentence class that I am taking at the Taos Summer Writer's Conference. This has not been edited or fiddled with at all. The only thing I have done is type this up from the longhand exercise I did in class.


I write because I have too many ideas and I have to get rid of them. I write because I have never heard anyone else say the exact mix of things that I want to say. I write because it makes me feel good. I write because I want to make my ideas and feelings and dreams real. I write because it is comfortable. I write because writing makes me feel that I am making progress. I write because I want to leave something behind. I write because I know there are people who feel alone with the same scary things I have experienced and they need to know they are understood. I write because I want to show off my brilliance. I write because it is fun. I write because I want people to know who I am. I write because I want to stay sane. I write because this world is my life. I write because it works for me. I write because I love the feeling I get when it works. I write because writing is the best thing I have ever done with my time. I write because I admire writers. I write because I love writers. I write because it is an outstanding outlet for my insanity. I write to meet others who are like me. I write because I am and have always been a reader. I write because I care about words and meaning. I write because being a writer gives me an identity separate from Mommy. I write because Grandfather was a writer. I write because Mom who wrote said, “just write,” before she died. I write for Vivi who knew I could do it. I write because I can. I write because it gives my life a greater sense of purpose. I write because I don’t know of anything better to do with pen and paper.