Remembering Why We (Can) Write

Why do you write? For many, the answer is as primal as “why do I breathe? Because I have to.”

Some may cite that they have a message that begs to be heard, some insight into a larger truth that they can’t not share.

And, of course, you have many who write simply for themselves, to open a portal into untapped emotions to make sense of their lives.

No matter the reason, there is one commonality shared by all American writers: the freedom to put words on paper without the fear of persecution. It’s a freedom that some of us may take for granted, but many authors – most notably Salman Rushdie for The Satanic Verses – have feared for their lives after writing words that others deemed dangerous.

So today as you remember those who have fought and lost their lives for our country, thank them also for our freedom of speech. And, writing.