There’s a meme going around Twitter today called #WhyIWrite. Search the hashtag and you’ll see thousands of writers of all stripes answering the question. (I learned of it from reading a tweet by Neil Gaiman.)
It’s an odd question, to me at least, because no one really enjoys writing. If a writer tells you they do, they’re lying – saving face or something because they don’t want to admit they hate what they do. OK, hate is a strong word. But writing in and of itself is not enjoyable. It’s hard work, a slog. It can be infuriating and lonely. It is a process.
But people write. Everywhere. Because it’s an urge. It’s something that we need to do (and let’s all admit this is true of ALL forms of creativity – whether artistic, scientific, what ever). You breathe because you have to live. The same can be said of writing.
I responded to this meme on Twitter by saying I write because I have to. Also because I’m a loud mouthed schnook.
Because, in the end, all art is also an act of arrogance. It has to be. Artists are both insecure (a gross generalization, yes) and arrogant. Yin and yang. They have no choice. Neither do I.
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