Writers Gone Wild Forum Why do you write?

What I mean by this question is, what do you hope to do with it? I assume most of us write, at the very base, because we enjoy it and feel a need to tell stories. But are you looking to make money off of it? Just write for fun?

I would love to write full-time. I think I'm good enough at it and have the drive enough to pull it off, even if I'm writing mid-list for the rest of my life. If I can accomplish being able to pay my bills with just writing, then that'd be a dream come true. I think it's fairly realistic for me, too. But if that doesn't happen, editing will be a nice consolation prize :)

I write because it's my voice when I can't scream
I write because it's my tears when I can't cry
I write to let go of my demons
I write to be inspired by myself

I started writing about 15 years ago and kept it very private. I kept journals that I hid because I was afraid to let people know what I was really thinking. I wrote because I was afraid to show people anything other than the calm collected individual that they were so used to having around. I helped with other people's problems and kept my own to myself. My brothers found one of my journals and teased me for it because of the romantic language and the hurt an pain that I had recorded. I was called a f*g more than once because of my love for words. After that I slowed down quite a bit until I had an idea that I couldn't let go. I started to write again and fiance at the time told me that I had to stop concentrated on things that were unrealistic and to make my job more of a priority. I told her that I wasn't feeling right about the upcoming wedding and she told me I needed to do more around the house and maybe clean a little more, or find a hobby. I told her I couldn't marry her. I started writing again about a year ago and I will not let go of my dream again. I have a decent job to supplement as I work on my craft, but this is my goal in life and nothing will ever come between me and it again. I'm rough and I need a lot of guidance, but the ideas never stop coming. I write in my head while I'm driving, I write while I'm walking the dog, I write in my dreams.

I write because I feel like I'm supposed to
I write because it helps me sleep at night
I write because it's my other true love
I write


Good question.

Your fiance told you you needed a hobby? I'd be like "Oh, a hobby? You mean, like, say, WRITING?!?!? You told me to knock that off, you b***h!"

Sorry for the outburst ...

Yeah no s**t. It was one of those turning points in life. She left for work(third s**t RN) and I dropped to my knees, literally, and asked myself what the f**k I was doing. I knew I had to leave and it sucked because the wedding was two months away. But I started to realize that I never really loved her anyway so it became less and less hard to admit to myself that I was about to go for a blind ride on lifes rollercoaster yet again.

It all worked out very well for me, and I couldn't be happier

Being a woman, Rich, I can kind of understand what your fiance was getting at--I've said similar things to my husband, but never quite so harsh. I've encouraged his drumming, but since we have two kids, only if it does not come at the cost of his employment. He can drum all he wants with only 2 restrictions: 1) He cannot spend all our money on drum stuff and must make reasonable purchases when we have the cash, and 2) He can't sacrifice anything for his drums right now.. not until I get a decent enough paying job that he can do whatever he wants or until the kids are older and require less care and I can go back to work without having to put them in daycare.

But still.. I would never make him give up his dreams and if we didn't have kids he could explore them to the fullest! But having 2 kids makes everything harder. I find it amazingly hard to write most days, and I'll sit at the keyboard for hours.. just goofing off until I hit that right zone and I'm ready to write--and as soon as I get started and I'm immersed in the story... WHAM! I'm hit with a kid wanting juice. LOL. ::biggrin::

To the OP:


Aside from all the usual reasons--I write because I like to, I write because I love to tell stories, I write for the challenge!!-- I write in the hopes of one day paying my bills. I'm with you, Justin. If I can write enough to pay the bills, keep everyone in my house comfortable and happy--and my husband gets to play drums 24/7 and buy drum stuff---that's success in my eyes. As long as I don't have to work a job I hate to keep me writing--and thankfully I don't right now, but it isn't gonna last long--then I'm satisfied.

Although I do dream of being on the bestsellers list. In the introduction to "The Drawing of the Three", Stephen King discusses that when he was our age--young, in his twenties, and foolhardy--he dreamed of taking the world by storm with his writing and becoming a hugely successful writer. He said that people thought he was arrogant, cocky, assertive, "too big for his britches", and that they were right. But how else would he fill those britches later on when they got bigger if he didn't dream big then??

Which I think is true. I think writers set themselves up to be only moderately successful--not for lack of talent cause I've seen writing by many authors who do fantastic work and there's a lot of authors out there on the Bestseller lists who do awful work--but because we don't dream big. We're afraid of getting our hopes and expectations up about that Bestseller List and so we back off, settle for smaller dreams, and in the end we're left holding a big pair of empty pants that we could've filled.. but didn't have the heart to do so.

So I say dream big. To emphasize this:

I plan to be the next HUGE horror writer. I won't be tied down by genres, but I will definitely be known as a horror writer because my fiction always lends itself to darker themes. But I plan to transcend the writing world--and when someone comes knocking at my door for movie rights to my book (which they will!!)--I will be there and I will make sure I get to be a part of that process, writing the screenplay, helping wherever I can, etc. I want to meet the great ones-- King, Masterton, Little, Lumley, Barker, Ketchum, Clegg, Straub--and have them ask ME to sign their copies of my books. I want them to say they're big fans of my work.

That's my goal. ::biggrin:: And it's a doozy, ain't it?? LOL.. *whispers very quietly* But if I have offended any of the gods, I'll still be happy to settle for paying the bills...*

Heh you go, Shanna! Now I'm all psyched up to take on the world! I'll be signing YOUR copy of MY book now!! WAHAHAHAHA!

Welllllll, I left her for many other reasons, that was just one of the turning points of our relationship. I am a sales manager at my job and I own several small businesses. Luckily, I have time to write whenever I want. She didn't understand my writing and she was an evil awful b***h that didn't like the attention I got through my writings(via postings of blogs and other things). The reason she told me to find a hobby was because she believed my cold feet to be a result of too much thinking due to my writing.

I turned away from my writing by choice when I got married and picked it up again after the divorce. I was never happy being married because I felt stifled. Maybe the writing, maybe the wife and I. Who knows???
I write because I like to create, I like to make people laugh, and I like to scare people. Any emotional response is great.
I don't want to be restricted by genres either. I like horror, but my writing covers the spectrum and I belong to a good variety of groups to push myself a little. My goal is to sit in a chair in a bookstore and hear from someone I've never met that they loved my book. "Please sign it for me?"
I don't have illusions about being rich, but if I could be comfortable, I'd be happy. I could sit here all day and just make up stories and characters and be deliriously happy. Now if someone would just pay me for it, I'd be ecstatic..