Writing: The Why?

In my last post I talked about the Who/What/When/Where/How? of writing. All the components that really make up what we refer to as "the writing process." The technical nuts and bolts of our practice that can be learned (and unlearned) as we discover what serves our work and what doesn't.

But the Why of writing deserves its own conversation.  I don't see the Why of writing as a teachable part of technique, but as an innate need to engage in something  that cannot necessarily be reduced to a generality or some sort of universal experience.  Sure, we all have our standard "I write because ..." lists:

I write because it calms me

I write because it amps me up

I write because I have something to say

I write because I worry I have nothing to say

I write to tell what I know

I write to find out what I don't know

And my favorite of all time (because I think there is a whole lot of truth to it):

I write because I HAVE to. 

I absolutely get that.  I get the whole list, in fact, because it is my list and it is your list and it is the list of every workshop and seminar and writing conference I have ever attended. And it is a fine list - we could stop there and move on.  After all, not everyone enjoys examining everything at its most microcosmic level, unless of course they are looking for a distraction from writing.  And I absolutely get that, too. I didn't think I needed to answer the Why of writing either, at least not specifically. Not until I got lost in my own story. 

While many writers are plagued with that all-too-familiar paralysis known very simply as Writers Block, I often suffer the opposite affliction which I have aptly named (and diagnosed within my own work) Writers Tangentia.  What this means, in layperson's terms, is that if I get stuck or if I feel empty of thought and inspiration, I reach for the nearest tangent and jump on.  And I ride that tangent as far as I can, until I find another tangent, and another tangent, and another tangent ...  until finally I am living that experience that every Windows computer user suffers on a regular basis, having Googled something as simple as the weather and ended up - an hour later - buried in forty-two windows of tangents and sidebar ads trying to back out a window at a time to find tomorrow's forecast - aka the original reason for the Google.  I've been on that hellish journey twice this week, both times in an attempt to avoid writing altogether by calling it research ... until I found myself knee-deep in windows and staring at multi-pack heartworm pills for my dog on the Pet Meds website.  But once again, I digress ...

The best answer I have always been able to give to the Why of writing has simply been the "Because I have to" one.  But what does that mean?  And does it really matter?  Well, yes, it matters.  It matters because if we aren't clear about the big reasons we write, then we won't really know what the hell we are writing.  And we won't really care about it for its own sake, either.   We might care about getting published and being read and sending a universal message out into the world, but the pulse of our words won't feel as urgent or as necessary until we really figure out why it is so necessary for us to bring them to life.

I think my point here is, we all have a Why, but we rarely make ourselves sit down and answer it - for each piece we write, and for the larger reasons we engage in the practice and the craft and the life of writing.  But like anything, if we don't think about it, really pull it apart and annotate it like any good writing craftsperson would analyze the significance of point-of-view or the juxtaposition of water imagery surrounding a particular character, we will never get to the heart of what makes us tick.  And that is when our words stop breathing.

So here's the challenge: Write about why you write.  Whether it is a specific piece or book you are writing (or avoiding writing) or the broader concept of writing as a daily practice and/or occupation.  Be as specific as you can, as personal and as unedited as possible, and see what you find out about yourself in the process.  Does your answer match up with your work?  Are your feelings about writing consistent with the Who/What/When/Where/How? of your writing?  Did your answer surprise you?  Better yet, did your answer elude you (Are you still sitting there staring at a blank page)?

Feel free to share your answers here if you'd like.  And by the way, there are no wrong answers.  "Because" is perfectly acceptable, if it is the only answer you are ready to give.

~~ Keep writing ...