Why will we write? four prime causes storytelling and sharing is necessary
Why do we write? Nonfiction and fiction have been an important way for people to connect with one another in the real world.
Stories are about change, and if we read and watch them we can change ourselves for the better.
But do people write for different reasons, and are some of those reasons more meaningful than others?
Are you currently at your computer, perhaps rummaging through your first draft (or a much later draft) debating whether or not a career as a writer is right for you?
Are you wondering if the written word is how you will shape the world – and if so, is a career as a writer what you want in life?
Why it is important to tell and share stories
It is safe to say that there are more writers today than ever before in history.
At the beginning of my writing career, I went to the AWP conference in Chicago, eager to learn and excited to meet other writers. There were 10,000 other writers there. That was a conference years ago.
When I first wrote this post in 2012, the number of creative writing programs in universities had skyrocketed from about 50 in the 1980s to over 300 in the US. There were over 110 million bloggers who ran their own blogs.
I'm sure the number of shaves has only increased in 2021.
That's a lot of competition.
Seriously, why are we writing? Given the increasingly limited attention span of the general public, why are we all following the letter?
It's not that we're making a lot of money, if at all.
What motivates us to keep going? How does writing positively affect our own lives and the lives of those around us?
4 reasons why we write
Whether we're writing short stories for a high school assignment or not, finishing up novels we publish ourselves on Amazon, or writing full-time with the success of well-known authors like Stephen King (wouldn't that be amazing?), We write for many reasons.
However, there are four main reasons why I write. I wonder if these will resonate with you:
1. Be alive
We write to be fully alive.
Sir Ken Robinson says:
The arts are particularly concerned with the idea of aesthetic experience. An aesthetic experience is one where your senses are at their peak. if you are present at the current moment; when you resonate with the excitement of the thing you are experiencing; when you're fully alive
The act of writing pulls us into the moment. We see the blades of grass, hear the sharp chirping of the morning cricket and watch the shadow move from one edge of the courtyard to the other for the first time, apparently.
Writing helps us to make art out of everyday, ordinary moments.
With each piece we are invited to look at the world from a new perspective.
We take the opportunity to base ourselves on a point of view that may be our own – or that of a new character. Someone who is eagerly waiting to teach us something special about ourselves and our potential.
Writing gives us an excess of moments to really sympathize with a person, explore a world, and learn from a story in a way that reminds us of what really matters in life.
We create a philosophy of growth through writing – and through deep writing.
A literary life is rich in truth and adventure that brings our beings to life.
2. Make a name for yourself
George Orwell says that one motivation to write is the sheer selfishness we write out of “the desire to appear smart, to be talked about, to be remembered after death, to the adults who berated you in your childhood have to turn their backs etc. etc. ”
That's part of it, but I think the motivation goes a lot deeper than being popular in the present moment.
If you're being honest you would agree that living forever would be nice. But if you cannot physically live forever, then why can't your memory live forever?
We talk about Chaucer, Virginia Woolf, Mark Twain, and George Elliott long after they died. Why not you?
This may not be the most selfless motivation, but it certainly is natural. Writers who share their stories build a legacy that extends beyond their lifetime.
Through writing, we can shape today's world and future generations – if writers have the courage to print their stories on paper and then pass them on to a reader.
And with luck, readers will pass this story on to another reader who will pass it on again.
3. Change the world
People are consuming today more than ever in the history of the world.
We eat more, we listen to more music and we consume more information. However, we've also learned enough about consumption to know that it doesn't make us happy.
Writing gives us the opportunity to turn the tide against consumption. Instead of consuming more, we can do something.
Instead of fueling destruction, we empower creation. Isn't that exciting?
Every day when you put your fingers on the buttons, you create something. And then you can share it with the world with one click on the world.
People have a built-in need to shape the world. We want to bring new things to life, to shape things into the picture we have in our imaginations, to subdue the earth.
We don't just write to change the world, but to create a new world.
And with every new world new possibilities.
New stories that not only close the cycle of life, but enrich it.
4. Discover meaning
The psychiatrist Victor Frankl stated that the main search of humanity is not happiness or pleasure, but meaning. "Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by a lack of meaning and purpose," he wrote in "The Search for Meaning" of man.
Writers are uniquely gifted at making sense of themselves and helping others find meaning.
In fact, this has always been the main role of storytellers. Every story is important to the person who lives it, and our job is to tell the universal stories, the stories that reveal the story of every person on earth.
We write to make sense of the world.
That goal doesn't mean writing a bestseller on the New York Times list – wouldn't that be nice?
You never know whose life could change your story.
Therefore, as writers, we understand deep down that it is important not only to start what we write but also to finish it.
We all have stories to tell
No matter how many copies of a book you sell, stories share meaning and messages with patterns, and those patterns are absorbed and maintained by people who turn to the world for answers.
Each of our lives is a valuable story in itself. And each of us has an unlimited number of stories to tell.
I hope you will write down your stories for us.
What do you think? Why do you write and why do so many people write today? Let us know in the comments.
WORK OUT
Spend some time free writing today.
As you write, think about your motivations. Are they pure enough to keep you going despite everything?
Write for fifteen minutes. When you're done, post your exercise in the comments section. And when you post, be sure to comment on some of the other authors' posts.
