[icomeanon6]

This may sound like a cop-out at first glance, but I would actually say: Both. In my mind, the two just aren't diametrically opposed. On the contrary, I tend to think that they work hand in hand. I definitely write because I enjoy it, but most of my enjoyment comes from other peoples' reactions. It's the old "it feels good to do good" situation. If you enjoy doing something for someone else, are you doing it for yourself or the other person? The answer is that there's no reason why the two are mutually exclusive.

In short, I write for my own enjoyment, but that enjoyment itself comes from providing other people with an enjoying read.

Originally Posted by Mizan

I first started wondering this when I wrote my latest parody fic. Of course, when writing a parody, you have to make jokes that are enjoyable and can be easily understood.

It's funny how comedy brings those kinds of things into focus (no pun intended). I think it's because it's easier to tell whether somebody enjoyed comedy. It's as simple as this: They laugh, or they don't. When you're trying to be serious, gauging satisfaction gets more complicated.