Why Write?

Why do we write? It's a question all writers ask themselves at some point. Maybe it's when we're in the middle of a manuscript and feel stuck. Maybe it's when we are struggling to come up with any ideas at all. Or maybe it's a bad review from a peer, a disappointing reaction, or a publication that hasn't received the attention you hoped.

It's an important question to ask, not one to be feared or avoided. It's okay to have days you hate writing--or you tell yourself you do. It's okay to love your manuscript one day and hate it the next. All normal things, not that I have to tell you that.

But it's essential to ask the question. Why? Because you won't write to your full potential unless you are honest with yourself. What do I expect from writing? An eventual contract with someone like Penguin? A major award? For it to become a best seller?

Maybe you're more realistic. Maybe you just want something to get published. And while that's admirable, do you even need that? It's fine to have many reasons to want to write. Deep down, there is no writer who doesn't want some affirmation. There is no such thing as a complete purist--that isn't human.

What matters is that you recognize this. And what matters is, that, above all else you write because you can't imagine a life without it.