Why do you write?

Is there a reason why you write? Do you often write for yourself? Or do you write for others?

For me, I write to inspire others and help them better understanding certain things. I consider myself a self-advocate for people with disabilities. So, I tend to write what I know might inspire people or help them get a better feel for things like autism. It also gives me the opportunity to express myself in a way that most people are amazed by.

So, why do you write?

It's an outlet for all the little what-ifs running through my mind about my favorite settings/characters/what have you. That's pretty much the long and short of it where I'm concerned.

I've got to agree with Sike - I like coming up with scenarios and characters and seeing what happens, and then sharing it with other people. I enjoy the process of developing/learning about characters (whether created by me or someone else), delving into their minds and seeing how they think, act and feel.

Writing is a hobby and a form of catharsis for me, and it's just my favourite way to make art. Storytelling is also a powerful tool for sharing our experiences and ideas, and I tell stories best on paper. A big part of writing for me is the aspect of sharing, so I'd say I wrote both for myself and for others. :]

~Psychic

I write because I can't deal with all the stuff running through my head. It may not all be the best ideas and it might take me way too long to get them all out and pinned down, but if I just let stuff run free up there all the time... well it just wouldn't be good. I write a couple thousand words and then what I wanted to write about is finished and all of the other ideas in my head say "alright. you did something. we'll stop for now."

The need to write is a bit like having a red-hot ball of iron in my brain. It's always there, and it never cools off. Writing paradoxically makes it both hotter and more comfortable.

That and I baaaasically have a latias tulpa.

Honestly, it's mainly to feel like I'm actually doing something with my life :/

I write because no one cared about my problems growing up, so if I can shove them into these characters and give it a good plot, I can force people to care against their will, and that's pretty cool.

At least, that's why I started. I continue because I love stories. Nothing makes me happy like them, and I do what I can to satisfy that little itch in my brain that can't have enough.

A mixture of writing out different scenarios to see what happens and also to get ideas off my head. Once I'm able to get to writing, I can be satisfied I at least got another idea taken care of. Like Psychic said, it's also fun seeing how the characters developed as the story moves further.

I don't have any other ways to get creative. I can't draw, it always becomes stickman or an 'abstract art'. I can't make music, my voice is too basic and my fingers just can't handle a guitar. So I try to make art with words. Sometimes, I get strange plots in my head that I just want to write out. Sometimes I take a break from writing, but I'll always come back.

I write because it's my main way to communicate. Whatever I'm feeling, I can't describe it while talking about it, and I can't sort out my thoughts until I sit down and actually write about it.

Also, I used to live so much in my imagination that writing was the only way I could record the adventures I came up with. Even now, my mind is always working on "what-if" situations for my characters, and I explore those by writing.

I write because it deals with my stress from life, empties my mind and prevents an impending insanity, sort of... Well, I dislike keeping thoughts and ideas in my head for too long and try to put them on paper as fast as I can. (I like to keep my memory banks empty for more necessary things, it makes it easier for my brain) Also, it's somewhat on my bucket list. (Write and finish 3 fics).

As child I always write short stories, and showed them to people, like my parents. Whom at the time, I doubt they even care what I was writing about, and they thought it was cute and all. I guess it became a hobby after years. Thankfully not an addiction. Or barely a talent. I was also told it makes you more creative if you're writing, etc, and I kept that thought ever since.

Everyone has a reason, and motive. It's really up to the person backstory on why they write.

I write because it's fun to explore the possibilities in fandoms (eg. imagining the show as a completely different genre, for example), or what isn't really explained in canon.

When it comes to original worlds, building a world is half the fun.

EmeraldSky said:

I write because it's fun to explore the possibilities in fandoms (eg. imagining the show as a completely different genre, for example), or what isn't really explained in canon.

When it comes to original worlds, building a world is half the fun.

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If you're talking about AUs (fantasy AUs, modern day AUs, etc), indeed those can be really fun! I've written a few AUs stories like those before.

Astinus said:

I write because it's my main way to communicate. Whatever I'm feeling, I can't describe it while talking about it, and I can't sort out my thoughts until I sit down and actually write about it.

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This is literally me to a T. My doctor has always been amazed by my written expression abilities. She thinks it's nice for me because it gives her a better explanation of my issues. I've always found it much easier to get my thoughts down when I can write them. If I so much as try to explain them verbally, my brain just sort of shuts down on me, and I struggle to get my point across.

I suppose I have many reasons for writing, some more virtuous than others. On a grand scale, the idea of writing the twenty-first century response to Ulysses or Gravity's Rainbow, or somehow managing to figuratively spearhead whatever movement follows post-modernism, to positively contribute to the ever-expanding literary history, that would be pretty neat. (That's an understatement.) On another level, I'm torn between how private my usual nature is, and how being a successfully published author would raise my status and perhaps open up doorways to fame. I'm not sure which mode of living, reclusive or public persona, I would embrace. Those aforementioned reasons for writing are obviously somewhat hyperbolic. The main reason I write is the same as most aspiring writers - I would not be able to live without writing, and I love reading what I come up with.

I write because it's the only real way I can speak. When I talk to people my age/around my age, I can be a dick and I know it; I'm mostly a quiet/reserved person, but when I speak to even my friends I'm gruff and always making biting remarks, not because I'm a cruel person but because I just suck with people and I'm even more terrible with reading and dealing with emotions. I write instead, because with writing I can express myself in all kinds of ways unlike how I can do verbally, and also with writing I can be a better person than I really am; vicariously, I can be a superhero, a vigilante, a Pokemon Trainer, even, and it's really the only thing that keeps me sane.

I write because sometimes it helps me escape my own thoughts. Writing is something that I really enjoy doing, and if I'm having problems at home or at school or with friends, I know I can sit down at my laptop, write for a couple of hours with my headphones on and start to feel better. Also, it's my creative release, since I get a lot of crazy ideas for storys and fics that I think would be cool, so I have to write them down. I'm not great when it comes to writing, but I just enjoy it, so I don't let that hold me back.

It's fun and it allows me to express myself. Art isn't really my forte. I'm okay at graphic art & I'd like to get better, but I feel like that's going to take time. I feel like writing is something that comes naturally to me. I enjoy it and I like being able to explore already existing universes and creating my own as well.