Writing: Why the Hell Am I Doing This???

Hi everyone, Pod here. Let’s talk about the writing process for a second. It is a wonderful thing. And by wonderful I mean nerve racking, head bashing, mentally taxing, emotionally draining, insane making, alcoholism causing, social life destroying and very often intolerably boring. 

So here's a duck.

It’s not all bad news though. If you are insane enough to put self through this process you will end up with something wonderful. And by “something wonderful” I mean something that will never feel finished or complete to you no matter how much you edit it and which is a constant disappointment to you and, in all likelihood, no one will ever read. And that’s if it’s a good piece of writing. Which almost never happens. Mostly it’s crap. Even the best writers only produce halfway decent work a tiny percentage of the time. 

This being the case, you might be wondering why anyone bothers writing at all. Surely it would be easier and more fun to be doing… well anything else. So why do we do it? A very good question. It might be because we are creative and creative people are insane. It might be because we are bored. Or angry. Or sad. Or happy. Or all four at once. The truth is that everyone has their own reasons why they write. Why you choose to subject yourself to the gauntlet that is writing is your business. Your own private insanity. It doesn’t matter what your reason is just as long as you know what it is. You cannot write effectively unless you do. Knowing why you, personally, write helps you to focus your efforts and keeps your creativity from wandering too far from your original purpose. More importantly, it lets you discover who your intended audience is. This, in turn, will help you to understand, not just what you are trying to say, but how best to say it. 

For this reason it is crucial to ask yourself: “Why do I write?” It is a fundamental question but one that surprisingly few writers have thought to ask themselves.   So take a moment to do a free write now on the prompt: “Why do I write?” If you are stuck trying to get your free write going I would suggest making a list or list poem where each line begins with “Because…” This should help you to understand your motivation in writing as well as supply you with some raw material to work with. If you are unfamiliar with free writing feel free to read about it here: “Fear and Loathing in Your Writing".

Once you understand your own unique motive for writing and what you hope to achieve by it, you stand a better chance of reaching your goals. You and your relationship to writing may change over time, though so it is a good idea to revisit the question every few months. 

That’s all. I hope this helps you in your writing. Good luck and remember : be brave, be sincere, and have fun!