Who do you write for?

This question can be taken a number of ways. Every writer has a reason to write - what's yours? Or more specifically, who is your reason? This is the human element that goes so often unnoticed and unsung by writers and readers alike. Who is it for you?

• Perhaps you have a parent or older sibling who writes, and you started out because you wanted to follow them.
• Maybe your writing is dedicated to a loved one that you lost long ago.
• Maybe there's a good friend of yours who reads everything you write, to the point that you find you write specifically for that person.
• Maybe there's a special someone who you just can't seem to pluck up the courage to speak to, so you write him/her poems instead, even if they'll never read them.
• Maybe you have someone very dear to you that acts as your muse. You see this person's face and it fills your mind with words, itching to get out and onto the paper.

Everyone is different, and I'm curious as to what you all think.

(Note: This isn't just fanfiction I'm talking about, of course. It can be original fiction, poetry, songs, journal articles, anything.)

Well, actually, it wasn't until a bit less than two years ago that I finally met someone who I could write to. So now I'm writing for him because he's proud and amazed at the fact that I write, even though he hasn't read any of my work, and so I keep working away so that I could finally have some writing (outside of letters) to share with him.

Other than that, I wrote really for anyone who would read it. Writing was my main form of communication for anything. I have a few issues with actually talking out loud, so if I had something to say, it was through writing that I said it.

But yeah, for the longest time, I guess you could say that I was missing my human element when it comes to writing. I do notice that my writing gets better when I have someone to write to.

The reason I write is a tad clichéd. Mainly, it's because I want to express myself. Otherwise, it's because I'm the kind of person who frequently gets these bursts of inspiration from dreams and every day events and then have the itch to write them down and share it with other people. Usually, these bursts of inspiration are work-related, but sometimes, they have to do with what I'd like to see on TV and such. Not being a tv director, I find that the only way I'm able to see my ideas in action is to put them into writing.

As for the human element, I don't have anyone who I creatively write for. I do some non-fiction for the sake of someone dear to me and because I enjoy it, but that's about it.

Also, for a third reason, it's because writing is my main form of communication, especially when the differences in accent are so great that you just get tired of trying to emulate a different style of talking. Case in point: the fact that I'm a foreigner in this English country.

• Perhaps you have a parent or older sibling who writes, and you started out because you wanted to follow them.
• Maybe your writing is dedicated to a loved one that you lost long ago.
• Maybe there's a good friend of yours who reads everything you write, to the point that you find you write specifically for that person.
• Maybe there's a special someone who you just can't seem to pluck up the courage to speak to, so you write him/her poems instead, even if they'll never read them.
• Maybe you have someone very dear to you that acts as your muse. You see this person's face and it fills your mind with words, itching to get out and onto the paper.

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The only one there that might apply to me to any extent would be the third one - I often throw in references/in-jokes in my fic that only certain friends of mine would get, but that's more a bonus than the main reason/target for my writing. Essentially I write both for myself (I find it entertaining to write my fic after all) and for anyone and everyone to enjoy - I like to (try to) entertain others I suppose. There's no sole specific person for me with any of my fics - it's more for whoever chooses to read it.

I don't write much, but I usually do it because I have an idea I want to get out of my crowded mind so badly. It's rare that I write with a person in mind besides myself, but sometimes I dedicate my work to all those people out there who are mistreated like I was.

I mostly write for myself to release my emotions and what ever I'm thinking of in my head. Also to write for people to put some lol in peoples days. I'll just say this as well, it's in my bucket list. Write a story and go far before I die.

When I write music, it revolves around an incident that happened that involves a love traingle I'm currently in. :( (WaWaWaWaaa)

For my fics, I do it to release feelings built up inside me.

Pretty much like a few people I mostly write for myself (because I have so many plot bunnies that needed out of my head and to be written) and for anyone that will enjoy it. The only times where I technically wrote for specific people are writing event stuff like fic exchanges and prompt claims, for instance. But yeah, for the most part I don't really have anyone in mind when writing because I like my stories to be enjoyed by many.

I write because I can, mainly. Because it's fun, because I have ideas that I could make go somewhere. For my own enjoyment.
Sometimes, I sort of write for others. The few fics I've done were to push an idea, to start a following for something. But mostly it's still me writing because I can.

I've always been told that I'm a pretty good writer and so I used to write a lot because I really saw it as one of my few talents. I just figured that if I'm so good at it I might as well keep with it. When I used to write I pretty much only wrote for myself. There was never anyone that inspired me or anyone that made me want to write. Overall I just wrote because people told me it was good and I liked the praise.

Over the past year or so I've really come to hate writing. I don't write essays for school anymore and I don't write in my spare time either. It's somehow turned itself into a chore and now when I read anything I write I can't help, but feel like it's lacking in some way or another.

So yeah, as of now I write for no one since I don't write at all! Although, if I ever started writing again it would probably be for myself, unless someone really took the time to encourage me to.

Generally, I write for myself as well. No one in real life reads my fanfiction, and if they have, they've never mentioned it. Though, I do find at times that I'm writing more for my characters than myself. I write because my characters' have stories that need to be told, adventures that need to be written down. I love building my characters the perfect world to live in and then exploring it through writing, and I especially like seeing and wondering how my characters will interact with each other. I guess I'm a bit weird, but I want to tell my characters' stories no matter what and writing is the best medium to let that happen.

Over the past year or so I've really come to hate writing. I don't write essays for school anymore and I don't write in my spare time either. It's somehow turned itself into a chore and now when I read anything I write I can't help, but feel like it's lacking in some way or another.

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You know, sometimes, this is how I feel, especially recently. I don't hate writing, but whenever the time to write approaches, I get depressed and start looking for anything else to do. Cleaning, homework, research- it doesn't matter! As long as I put off writing for at least a little while, I'll be fine. Now, I don't hate writing. Whenever I'm in the middle of 'the zone' of writing, where everything flows and comes out exactly as I want (until I inevitably find flaws in it later), I'm content and positively cheerful. I really like that accomplishment and feeling of pride whenever I finish writing but it never lasts and I go back to avoiding my next writing session like the plague. It's procrastination at its worst and even when I promise myself that I'll write that afternoon or that evening, I never do.

It's annoying and it always makes me feel jealous of the people who can't stop writing. Not to mention that I can't help but be overly critical of everything I write to the point that there is always something wrong with my chapters no matter how much I rewrite.

This is going to sound really cliche, but it's true.

My uncle was the first person who ever said that I had the potential to be a good writer. He was literally the first person who ever cared about what I wrote, what my ideas were, and how I expressed them.

He died from a heart attack about four months after he said those words to me. He meant the world to me, and I wanted to write something good, something that would be as memorable to others as he was to me. And when I wrote that story - either a fanfic or an original story - I was (and still am) going to dedicate it all to him.

Even if he said that just to make me feel good (and that's what his greatest quality was; he always took the time to be kind and thoughtful to everyone), it changed my life for the better.

For me, writting is something i have done since i was young, it is my way of expressing my self and my imagination. I dont think that i started writing because anyone inspired me, it was just the case of trying something new out and i am happy where it has lead me.

I start writing at young age and a few years ago I got into fan fiction. The reason I write is for me. I post most of my story and everything, but I really enjoy getting all my random idea, quotes, rubbish out of my head and onto a piece of paper or on my laptop.

I write for people who like my material, let me tell you how I began.

Well like many people I had many different fantasies as a kid.

As I grew older I found that books are fun, I even took a book instead of the movie version because it's longer and much much better.
When I had only read a few dozen books, it's true believe it or not.
I actully started thinking of making my own book, a long novel.
But because I soon found out that I didn't have the potential of writing something of a few thousand pages I started thinking about roleplaying websites.

I had roleplayed in video games before and still am, anyway.
I after some roleplaying via text I soon realized that despite having my English only being my second I wanted to update my RP's much as possible but I couldn't do it because I had to wait for other people to reply and continue.
So not long after I started writing these small fanfics, after writing some short ones I essentially wanted to write something longer than a few short chapters.
So I began to experiment on subjects that would light up that spark of momentum I needed to make long stories.

So after a few weeks or so I found it, it was war.
War in video games is always fun and epic but in reality it was pure hell.
Back here I am one of the few people who actully realized it, I tried to tell people by watching some movies or playing certain games that really catch that aspect.
Anyway, so I began on my writing again. I got my pokemon fanfic up to chapter 10 but then I hit the writers block. :(
So I began on working on various of different pokemon stuff, I didn't like 'em so I deleted them.
the only one I didn't delete was a cliche adventure where the heroine gets her pokemon and goes on an adventure.
I was somewhat easy because I used my own region that I had used before. But soon enough I found it boring, so I made more pokemon stuff because I felt easy with the region I had made but soon enough writers block.

Then I got somewhat depressed, but a few days later while watching the new Digimon season that had an actual digimon war in it it hit me.
''I'll write a freaking Digimon War fanfic!'' I yelled to myself and began working on it.
Even today I still have the huge momentum I had when I started, I had somehow made one chapter the length of six. And now I have 11 ready long chapters but they only get longer and longer!
I can't stop! I'm writing chapters 11.5, 12 and 13!

So this is my story, I started writing by 'accident' and I don't want to stop.
One day I wish that I will make that novel I always wanted.

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