Why do you write?

[Birdbeard]

From my experiences so far in literary circles and literature, I've found that people write for lots of different reasons.

I've found people write:

- as a creative outlet.
- because they want to tell a story.
- because they want to persuade.
- because they want to be remembered.
- to keep a journal.
- to make a commentary.
- to make money. (this isn't the best reason to write considering what the average write makes.)
- or because of some other reason.

Regardless of genre or style, people write for a reason.

Personally, I want to write books that will help people see other perspectives and reduce ignorance in the world. Might seem a bit humanitarian, but its worth a shot.

I was just curious what your reasons (or long term goals) are for writing. :D

[darknessthehedgehog]

I guess i write stories well technically i type them up i never publish them but anyways i do them for these reasons

1. I find it fun to do
2. It passes time
3. i find it a fun hobby
4. a good thing to do when there is nothing else to do

[Wolf-Raven]

At 4/14/10 06:32 PM, Birdbeard wrote: - as a creative outlet.
- because they want to tell a story.
- because they want to be remembered.
- to make a commentary.

These are my reasons. Number one would be the telling of the story, as i find i'm a better storyteller than an actual writer. Creative outlet ties a bit with that, Commentary is important too, and i think most people want to be remembered for some thing, so this is mine.

However...

- or because of some other reason.

Satan raising reason, to be specific. I'm hoping also to allow the educated layman to be able to warp time-space and reality till it suits him. Telekinesis FTW,

[Birdbeard]

@wolfraven

If you're interested in telekinesis and other parapsychological ideas, I definitely suggest you watch the animated film 'Akira'. It is a brilliantly written story and an awesome movie, filled with tons of ideas that might inspire you further in that direction. You should also look into some of the things that Tibetan monks are up to.

I think there are a lot of things that people haven't realized their minds are capable of yet.

[sinfulwolf]

I write for a few different reasons.
My first is to tell a story, to entertain. I like it when people read my stuff and come back saying "that was awesome" or some such, because I know I did something to help make their day a bit brighter, and they had some fun with it.

My biggest reason though. Venting. When I started writing, it was all smut. It was a way to vent the sexual tensions of an angsty 16-18 year old girl. These days? More plot, more emotion... and more violence. Lots more violence. Putting these vicious bloody images in my mind onto the page, helps me deal with things I've seen and done. Much cheaper than therapy too.

[Wolf-Raven]

At 4/14/10 08:02 PM, Birdbeard wrote: @wolfraven

If you're interested in telekinesis and other parapsychological ideas, I definitely suggest you watch the animated film 'Akira'. It is a brilliantly written story and an awesome movie, filled with tons of ideas that might inspire you further in that direction. You should also look into some of the things that Tibetan monks are up to.

I think there are a lot of things that people haven't realized their minds are capable of yet.

Oh yes, i've seen Akira, and the brilliant mindfuck it is. With the advent of string theory, this could very well be possible for Telekinesis.

HOWEVER, off topic.

Yeah, writing is bitch'n.

[rubber-dum-dum]

I tell stories in a hope that after someone reads it they might understand how my brain works a little more

[Earthshine]

I write as a way to reflect on how I'm feeling at the time. If I'm feeling sad my work will be dark and very emotional. When I'm happy, my work will mostly be comical. It also gives me a way to express my emotions. That's basically why I write.

[ThePortalGuru]

I write because I enjoy writing. I do it because I love the feeling that comes with putting my emotions and thoughts and ideas into words, and I love the feeling that I can catch a train of thought before it escapes and put it into something that everyone can read and enjoy.

Sure, I'm not proud of all of my works, but it's just something that you do, not from your brain, but from your heart. It may sound cheesy, but I hardly think when I write, and just let my fingers do the talking. Sometimes the greatest ideas can be written when have a brilliant idea in front of your computer one day.

Some people like to express their creativity through pictures, some through music, and others through their actions. Me, I like to express myself with literature.

I write because it feels comfortable for me. I write because I woke up one day and decided to write, and decided that it was what I wanted to do, perhaps for the rest of my life.

[MagnaFiend]

I mostly write because it's fun. I enjoy creating complex worlds and characters to inhabit them, building interesting character relations and dynamics, as well as character development. I also enjoy writing the crazies, or the controlling and overbearing type characters, they're really fun :D

[Nothins]

I guess because i engoy the people i can make up in my mind, theres so many i can do, and theres no end. I can make the any thign and i can make a world too, and i love battle scenes and such, hence what my first story is about, but i digress. I Find it fun and i want others to get a glimpse of the world i rp'd in for over a year now. Though my story is not linked in any way, the people are, and its just a story of whats happened had that thread not exists. Again i digress.
ITs just fun as well, and i can loose my self writing about it..... until my hand hurts...... then i give up............... witch reminds me i need to type it up as well >.>
again i digress...........
but thats pretty muc hwhy i write.

[Birdbeard]

RPing is a great, albeit nerdy, way to get creative fast. Good call. I've definitely done it.

:P

[Birdbeard]

At 4/15/10 08:17 AM, Aci6 wrote:

:I also like to instil fear inside of people's hearts to truly bring them forward.

I think I do this as well; its a great way to build suspense fast, and suspense is like making someone walk a metaphorical plank. In one of my longer stories, I make a kid witness his parents being lynched.

I think this is what a lot of writing is about: Making people feel something by reading strings of words.

[sinfulwolf]

At 4/15/10 10:41 AM, Birdbeard wrote:

I think I do this as well; its a great way to build suspense fast, and suspense is like making someone walk a metaphorical plank. In one of my longer stories, I make a kid witness his parents being lynched.

I think this is what a lot of writing is about: Making people feel something by reading strings of words.

I agree. With stories one tells you can bring someone to another world, or introduce them to other parts of our current world. It lets them explore without leaving the safety of their home. They can feel like they went on this ride with the characters without having to put themselves in direct danger.

[Evark]

I've always enjoyed the well-worded and witty. I write because I love the language. I like that English offers shades of meaning. It makes me feel like I'm working with a finely nuanced canvas and that an astute eye will appreciate the thought I've put into my word choice.

More than that, I like the intrinsic connection between language and communication. I like that one can convey intangibles such as emotion, experience, and thoughts through a near universal medium. Since I was young, I've been fascinated with what makes me ME... and how that applies to EVERYONE, which is a huge amount of people. The unreachable goal is to understand another's perspective as completely as I understand my own.

So even when I'm not writing about myself, it's sortof sharing a part of me with others in the hopes that through reading it they'll acknowledge the commonality.

... I gotta write a story pretty soon.

[sinfulwolf]

The English language is indeed fun to play with. All the things that make it difficult to learn also lend to it being so fun to bend and twist and create with.

[PinballWizard976]

I like to express my ideas. I actually don't write too often (not as much as I would like to, anyways), but when I do, I like to think. Characters, emotions they feel, how they might react to certain things, etc.

Basically, I just like to write. And well, that's all there really is to it. I don't want fame or recognition. I'm not going to do anything later in life as far as writing goes; it's just a thing i can do to allow myself to be both creative and imaginative in my thinking process. Yup.

[Imperator]

At 4/15/10 04:00 PM, sinfulwolf wrote: The English language is indeed fun to play with. All the things that make it difficult to learn also lend to it being so fun to bend and twist and create with.

At 4/15/10 03:56 PM, Evark wrote: I've always enjoyed the well-worded and witty. I write because I love the language. I like that English offers shades of meaning. It makes me feel like I'm working with a finely nuanced canvas and that an astute eye will appreciate the thought I've put into my word choice.

Y'all should look into learning a little Latin, if you haven't already. Seriously. Really opens up the playground in terms of language. Not just saying it because I take it.

I know there's a few famous authors out there whom you can see using their Latin/classics experience.

Not just vocabulary, but in terms of how words can be arranged, morphed, and used for multiple purposes.

J.K Rowling and Dr. Seuss being the easiest two to notice the connection.

[Evark]

At 4/15/10 04:28 PM, Imperator wrote: Y'all should look into learning a little Latin, if you haven't already. Seriously. Really opens up the playground in terms of language. Not just saying it because I take it.

My parents are both huge language nerds. Since I've been young, I've been subject to hearing my dad explain/teach me how English words have latin roots, and even what those latin root words were including what they meant.

J.K Rowling and Dr. Seuss being the easiest two to notice the connection.

Someone told me they thought my writing was Dr. Seuss-like the other day. I was deflated, to say the least.

[sinfulwolf]

Always thought about learnin some Latin. Could especially help with my more medieval and fantasy based stories.

[johngoldenwolf]

I write the poems I do to get the feelings out that I can not share with others without worry. lol
I write the stories to express the sense of adventure and freedom within myself.
and last but not the least at all by no means, I do the art that I do to expresss the feelings of bueaty I feel.
Every thing has its purpose and I guess those are the purposes for the things I do.
Summery- Expressionism.

[Abuelodigital17]

At 4/14/10 06:32 PM, Birdbeard wrote:

It's a pastime. I love creating things (drawings, short toons, stories...). I want to tell a story, and the stuff I write isn't something that has been done hundreds of times, it's original to some degree.
As for being remembered... that would be nice, but I doubt it will ever happen.

[Birdbeard]

At 4/15/10 03:56 PM, Evark wrote:

Since I was young, I've been fascinated with what makes me ME... and how that applies to EVERYONE, which is a huge amount of people. The unreachable goal is to understand another's perspective as completely as I understand my own.

That's such a cool way of looking at writing.

I think I'm floating a little closer to the idea of having the skill to show others my perspective as clearly as they see their own. That way they can truly identify with what I write...

Sweet way of looking at things.

[Birdbeard]

At 4/15/10 04:51 PM, johngoldenwolf wrote: I write the poems I do to get the feelings out that I can not share with others without worry. lol
I write the stories to express the sense of adventure and freedom within myself.
and last but not the least at all by no means, I do the art that I do to expresss the feelings of bueaty I feel.
Every thing has its purpose and I guess those are the purposes for the things I do.
Summery- Expressionism.

I just had a class in Cultural Studies about post-modern expressionism. It was about a guy named STELARK. He's interesting to say the least, but definitely odd. Check him out.

I'll link you to him:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKEfJRe4u ys

Lol, its really different.
His philosophies are something to consider for anyone who is going into sci-fi though.

[raeaven]

To express myself in forms of words? -.-

[RyderOmega]

I write for many reasons. A couple of those reasons are:

-a creative outlet
-helps pass the time when I have nothing better to do
-extra credit in Advanced English (trust me, i need that credit!)

That's about it, and it's pretty fun.

[Birdbeard]

Above all the things that inspire me to write, I'd have to say, is probably exploring unsolved mysteries and conspiracies. They get me thinking and questioning: That's when I write my best.

For example:

Shadow Government
UFOs
Ancient Civilizations (Pyramids and incredible edifices)
Figurehead Assassinations
Things that live below the ocean, deeper than we've ever explored.
Mad Physics and Parapsychology
Religion
And so on...

In fact, the book that I'm writing right now encompasses all of these things. They are all things that interest me and scare me; they get my imagination going...