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- Random Hour #9: Why Do You Write?
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Something funny happens when I write: I feel happy. Reality slips away and I have a place to channel all the jumbled thoughts that are usually bouncing around in my mind, and turn them into one cohesive piece. Writing lets me find deeper meaning in the world around me. And plus, it’s fun.
There are probably a thousand reasons why we write, but my favorite answer comes from Nobel Prize Laureate Orhan Pamuk:
I write because I have to write. I write because I am in love with the world. I write because my tongue is too wet and sloppy a tool for the elegance of language and because I feel more comfortable speaking through two splayed hands, through the pianoing dance of my fingertips. I write because the world is created through language and story and because I have a role to play in weaving the future. I write because I believe in the human beings around me with a passion so intense and so vivid and so bright that I can't help but want to reach them, and I want to reach not just them, but every future generation, and to tell them to keep trying and dreaming and striving, because it is worth it, and because the only way we can know each other is through these stories. I write to discover myself. I write because there is no other way. I write because I would go crazy otherwise. I write because I am crazy. I write because I need to make sense of the hideous intricacy of the universe. I write because I am happy. I write because I am in pain. I write because of the sheer joy of it. I write because sometimes it is the only thing that keeps me here. I write because, right now, I am breathing, and I can feel the beating of my heart within the rise and fall of my ribcage and I write because moths drink the tears of sleeping birds.
Sounds pretty spot-on to me! Of course, this isn’t the definitive reason why writers right; everyone has his or her own personal reasons. So I want to know: why do you write? What’s your reason? Whether it’s fiction, poetry, songs, screenplays, or something else—why do you do it?
- Posted Jul 9, 2008 by je55 | 24 Comments | Share It
- Filed under: Random Hour
Comments:
By
GirlwiththeBraids on July 9, 2008 at 05:16:24 PM
[Rating: +1]
I don't know, actually. It's just nice to sit there on your bed... writing. You can't really describe it. But I guess it is like you said: happiness.
By
Mistwraith on July 9, 2008 at 06:12:50 PM
[Rating: +2]
Sometimes it gets bad at my house, my parents are fighting, everything I do is wrong in the eyes of my parents, my dad won't listen to me, my mom is to busy for me to talk to her, and everything just goes wrong. It's nice for me that I can go write and I can be in control of what happens, I can make everything turn out ok, even though if in the real world it seems like it won't. I love words, and I like using them to express how I feel, it's easier for me to express myself in writing than it is for me to just go out and say it. That's why I write.
By
historyheroine on July 10, 2008 at 12:05:13 AM
[Rating: +2]
I know this probably isn't true for everyone, but the major reason I think I write is because when you write, you can make a universe that's not the one you live in. I write because, sometimes, I get bored with the world I live in and need to create one where everything that happens is more exciting. I write because I think there are feelings and situations that need to be experienced that you wait years for and never quite happen the way you want them to. I write because made-up worlds, however awful they appear to be at times, are always just a bit more perfect than the real world--because YOU can create them.
By
bookgrobie on July 10, 2008 at 12:06:26 AM
[Rating: +1]
For me I write to get my emotions out. I tend to internalize things, and writing is the only way that I can express what I'm feeling.
By
Elvenstar on July 10, 2008 at 01:06:33 AM
[Rating: +3]
I write to tell. I write to learn. I write to figure things out. I write because I need a place I can escape to, where I can walk alongside my friends, and sometimes intervene in their fates, so that they may come out stronger. Their story is revealed to me, and I must record it. I enjoy this very small control of circumstances I gain through writing. I am the god of my universe, and yet I am not. I can make the impossible happen every day, and it is possible, because I can make it so.
Feeble attempts at waxing poetic on this subject. . .
By
TheBookworm on July 10, 2008 at 12:58:06 PM
[Rating: +1]
Truth be told, I'm not much of a writer. I do a little poetry, but mostly it's nonsense. What I do write is what our teacher told us to do for an assignment. Oh well, maybe someday.
By
Arianna1985 on July 10, 2008 at 01:47:30 PM
[Rating: +2]
I write to get my personal thoughts and feelings out. Writing for me is a way to vent any emotions that I have.
By
cassiehaines on July 10, 2008 at 02:27:47 PM
[Rating: +1]
I write songs...because i play guitar and i sing...so I write a lot of stuff.
And I have recently started a book...we shall see where that gets me.
But I write because my best friend is an amazing writer and i hope to be as good as her, she got me into it and I have discovered that I like it. I write songs as a way to express myself through music!
By
Foxpaw on July 10, 2008 at 05:01:46 PM
[Rating: +1]
Writing for me is not something explain the world around me. Rather, it's an escape from the very same world. I write fiction, and when I do, I can create this whole world where everything I want to happen happens. It's a place where I can make sure the good guys always catch the bad guys; where sadness is always comforted by love and affection. It's a place where I can be whoever I want to be with no limitations whatsoever. Writing is like a warm coat that I can pull over myself to shield me from the outside cold. I can change the story any which way when I write, depending on my mood. If I'm angry, I can have my characters be angry as well. I can say whatever I want, because I know later in the story, it can be soothed over and apologized for, or better yet, the other characters always understand why I say the things I do.
I write to escape: to put myself in a world that sometimes seems better than the one we actually live in.
By
Briony on July 10, 2008 at 10:22:26 PM
[Rating: +1]
I write because it has always been apart of me. I live through my songs, poems and stories as well as the stories I read. I write because when I write I'm not afraid of being hurt by anyone, I can express my feelings in the way I see and feel them and when I write a story I don't feel alone and out of place. When I reach into that creative part of me, or it reaches out to me, I feel whole, safe and at ease. I feel warm and welcome and I write because in the darkness of the world it is one of the few things that brings light to my life. I write because I love it, I love describing everything within my scope and beyond. I love meeting people in stories I read and I love meeting them by surprise in my stories. I love telling stories and writing poems and songs that show the side of me I am to afraid to show to many people. I fell in love with words with the first breath I took and I love everything about writing. My characters are my friends that tell me their stories to share with the world and they are very close to my heart. (a mericale in its self). My songs are the melody and words of my heart that when I sing them I show to everyone, naked and in the spotlight. My poems are my way of expressing what it in my heart, mind, and soul. When I write all these feelings come together in the most harmonious way I can barley explain it and that is why I write. Writing is my freedom, life, love, heart, and soul; and it is every breath I take. All this is only a scratch on the surface. Even with my gift I can not truly explain why I write, I'm not sure anyone can.
By
Jeriah on July 11, 2008 at 09:51:03 PM
[Rating: +1]
I started to write because my sister and brother started to write. This is what my sister wants to do for a living. My brother is writing an epic story about a war in another world. This is what convinced me to start writing.
I write fiction. Fiction has always been my preference. I like to imagine that I can make fiction real just by thinking about it. I find that the only problem with fiction is that you can't go there and really experience it, because you know it's not real.
I an currently writing two stories. One is based off the characters of Sonic the Hedgehog. The other is of a girl in midevil times, who joins the army, then finds out that the lord who rules over their land is evil and she fights against him.
So, that's me.
By
Zaak on July 13, 2008 at 12:36:37 AM
[Rating: +1]
I started to write because I got an idea. It just snow-balled from there, more ideas, more pages, more more more.
I write because I have to write. I write because I am in love with the world. I write because my tongue is too wet and sloppy a tool for the elegance of language and because I feel more comfortable speaking through two splayed hands, through the pianoing dance of my fingertips. I write because the world is created through language and story and because I have a role to play in weaving the future. I write because I believe in the human beings around me with a passion so intense and so vivid and so bright that I can't help but want to reach them, and I want to reach not just them, but every future generation, and to tell them to keep trying and dreaming and striving, because it is worth it, and because the only way we can know each other is through these stories. I write to discover myself. I write because there is no other way. I write because I would go crazy otherwise. I write because I am crazy. I write because I need to make sense of the hideous intricacy of the universe. I write because I am happy. I write because I am in pain. I write because of the sheer joy of it. I write because sometimes it is the only thing that keeps me here. I write because, right now, I am breathing, and I can feel the beating of my heart within the rise and fall of my ribcage and I write because moths drink the tears of sleeping birds.
And now, this.
By
cahira on July 13, 2008 at 01:29:18 AM
I write for probably the same reasons that i read. I like to discover new worlds and meet new characters. I like to find escapes and live adventures and veiw the world through other people's eyes. I'm a shyer, introverted person. I don't like to show other people my emotions and feelings. I like to keep these to myself. When I write, I am able to let other people see how I truly feel while hiding behind another character. Or with poetry, I can vent or cry through the words that I write. Writing helps me to understand who I am. I love to write and see what I have created and experience adventures that I know I could never experience. It is so much fun.
By
face_in_book on July 13, 2008 at 08:53:40 PM
Most of the time I write when a phrase jumps into my head and makes the english language absolutely stunning in that moment. When the perfect word comes to mind, and I can't stand to let it fade out, I have to write it down. At least, for my poetry that's what starts it. For any narrative I write it's because I've met a person in my daydreams, and to let them die, after I've known them, is impossible. Writing them down immortalizes a feeling, a word, and a person who, however imagined and fabricated, is as real as anyone else.
By
bookworm08 on July 13, 2008 at 10:39:06 PM
[Rating: +1]
I write because I love to. I write because I love getting all my feelings out, and I love peeking into the minds of people other than myself. I love getting attached to my characters and making them perform how I want them to. I love, love, love writing, and some day hope to publish a book!
By
Wiesteria on July 14, 2008 at 04:57:29 PM
I love LOVE stories and I would always create stories in my head---stories of a life much better than the one we're in. I write in an attempt to get these stories onto something tangible. In a way, writing helps me escape from reality.
By
ElvinDragonRider on July 14, 2008 at 10:57:37 PM
When I write, it's like I am unleashing all my whole self into a page. It's healing...It's everything at once. It's falling in love, it's being in pain, it's sharing joy! It's a portal out of reality. It's like my way into my world and only I know the password. It's secretive, it's all mine. There is no competition for being the best, no limits. Anything is possible. It's a cure...a cure only you can make.
By
suzizzle on July 15, 2008 at 12:27:24 AM
I never really thought about why i write...it's just always been a part of my life. When i'm doing homework assignments, writing something down in my notebook, or even leaving a note on a post it. I think i write because sometimes things are better expressed that way and it's yours, when i have feelings that i want to vent out, i write. When i see something beautiful, i write about it. When an idea pops in my head, i write it down. It's like keeping a part of you on paper so you never forget.
By
bballchica1106 on July 15, 2008 at 10:49:48 AM
I write because it is my release. When I do it, I become a completely different person who is open about everything. It is just my way of letting go and putting myself out there. I write songs. Alot. But i havent shown or sang a single one yet. Just knowing that they are there is comforting and it helps me to know that there is other people out there that understand what I am going through. It helps me to figure out who i am and keep my emotions in check. its like a disease, but I dont want it to be cured because i love writing!
By
kawaii203 on July 17, 2008 at 10:26:45 AM
I write because I enjoy it, and I feel that I am fairly good at it. My favorite thing is when the characters start to move on their own. It's kind-of an exhileration, knowing yet not knowing what will happen. In life skills, we were talking about "Natural Highs", and I've found the best way to explain it is a Writer's High.
I write really late at night when I'm really stresteds and just cant seem to go to sleep I use it as a vent and a way to excape in to calmer world then the one that I am in.
By
Asteria on July 22, 2008 at 02:59:18 PM
I write because I want to and need to. It's so much easier to put down what you're feeling in writing, and you can take as long as you want to compose the perfect sentence. This world is crazy and fast, and sometimes I just want to step back and try to make sense of it all. Also, I have so many words bouncing around in my head that without a pen and a piece of paper I would got absolutly and thoroughly nuts.
By
Neveen on July 27, 2008 at 01:46:42 PM
I love riting because it's the only thing that makes me happy. with out writing I am lost.
By
SakuraGirl on October 14, 2008 at 02:03:03 PM
I write because the words star poking my heart if I let them build up for too long.