A Question of Why

What makes a writer, and why do we write?

What makes a writer, and why do we write?

This is probably one of the most difficult questions to answer because the topic is so complex. It’s a question I’ve often asked myself and have posed to other creative writers. I usually get various answers from, “It’s just something I’ve always done” to “It helped me heal during a rough time in my life.” 

I suppose first, we must answer: what is a writer? Simply put, a writer is someone who writes. Several definitions expand on this idea in an attempt to make it more succinct; a writer is someone who writes professionally, even publishes. But as the definition is complex, so is the determining factor that declares if someone is, or is not, a writer.

There are a few ways people go about becoming creative writers. There are college courses you can take, a myriad of creative writing programs, even some snazzy degrees. You can let the world tell you that you’re a writer by way of traditional publishing (i.e., querying literary agents to pitch your book to publishers). In today’s market, you can bypass all of that and publish yourself. However, there is still that ever-pervading lie that people who publish their own work are somehow inferior to their traditionally published peers. But it seems to me the only thing separating the two are gatekeeping practices based on what, no one seems to know. In such a subjective industry, I find it odd that this is something that people hold on so desperately to.

Then there are those who do not publish at all. Are they not still considered writers? I think it’s safe to say that a writer is just that—someone who writes, who may or may not pursue publication. Of the latter, I often wonder what makes a writer take the perilous leap. 

Someone once said in a social media thread that, in order to publish your own work, you need to have a huge ego. While I do see these arrogant types, I think the majority of us do not fall into that category. Hang out with some writers for a few months, and you’ll quickly learn most of us suffer from the complete opposite—inferiority complexes that kill our creative spirit. Yet still, we persist. We continue to write. But why?

"If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it." - Toni Morrison

I think for a lot of us who grew up obsessed with reading, we naturally found ourselves in the predicament of wanting to read books that simply didn’t exist. We saw a demand (even if it began as a personal one), and we created supply. This was only further cemented in our minds by hearing how other readers wanted something similar. In my case, I didn’t want to write for the market; I wanted to write for the niche group of people who would enjoy reading what I wrote as much as I enjoyed writing it. I find a lot of writers who follow this same idea.

"You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you." - Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing

Another answer I frequently receive when I pose the question in open forums of why we write is that it’s a means to escape. I can certainly understand this; I used books to get me through my childhood, and writing came naturally as a second way to accomplish this. Creating fictional worlds provides the ultimate distraction from life, and many of us prefer to live in places we can control. Another side to this is allowing readers to escape by diving into the worlds we create for them. It brings us joy to take the picture we see in our minds and paint them so they can exist in the minds of others. 

"Writing is like sex. First, you do it for love, then you do it for your friends, and then you do it for money." - Virginia Woolf

Do we write for the money? This is a tricky answer. Everyone clings to the dream of the six-figure advance that will solve all our money woes, but even traditionally published writers struggle to make ends meet. There is the issue of earning their advances, of unstable publishers, of shotty marketing, and of bookstore drama. Some self-publishers do very well for themselves, but again, it’s genuinely the luck of the draw. Some writers make very little profit, so again, I ask, why do we write?

"The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself." - Albert Camus

Here is probably the reason closest to my own heart. From our beginnings, people have told each other stories that have carried on for eons. Mythology was (and is) an imperative piece of civilization. Because of this, I believe the art of storytelling exists in all of us. But those gifted with the ability to spin words together, coupled with the incessant drive to get them read, have a responsibility to do so for the good of mankind. As dramatic as that may sound, the truth that humans can easily destroy each other over misinformation and lack of knowledge is real. We see it every day. In our current climate of book bannings and information that twists and turns on itself, storytellers have a crucial role. As political and religious leaders attempt to control the narrative, the voice of the people can stand out. What concerns me is the fact that there are a few multi-million dollar companies who decide which of these storytelling voices deserves to get heard. 

I can speculate on this all day, but the fact of the matter is, we just write because we do. On a personal note, my love for creatives is so deep that I will always encourage the writer to write, no matter what adversity they might face. I truly believe that writers—all creatives, really—are the fabric that holds society together. Art, in any form, is the essence of humanity. So I pose to you this question:

Are you a writer, and why do you write?