Why Do You Write?
 

            “How can you just sit there all day at your computer writing? Why do you write? It’s such a passive activity and nothing gets any exercise but your fingers,” said a dear old friend who still uses her ancient old typewriter when she needs to write a letter.
 

            “Well, it’s true my fingers get exercise, but so do my brain. I’ve heard the brain is like a muscle—if you don’t use it, you lose it.”
 

            “That’s silly. Your brain works continuously, even when you don’t give it directions.”
 

            “Well, isn’t it a good idea to give it directions? Otherwise, it just wanders like a lost little kid searching for something to do. Left untended, all kinds of worrisome thoughts start creeping in. I’m at my best when my mind is occupied with something, whether it’s work, play, hobby, or some special endeavor.”
 

            “I’m at my best when I’m in my recliner watching television,” my friend laughed.
 

            “But don’t you see, you’re still using your mind even though watching television is a passive activty.”
 

            “How can it be more passive than sitting at a computer all day?”
 

            “Watching television, you merely absorb. Writing requires active thinking. My fingers and brain work together like busy little bees to create scenes, actions, dialogue and interesting fiction.”

 

            “Okay, but you still didn’t tell me why you write.”

 

            “I suppose I write for many reasons, but the major ones are: I write because it gives me pleasure, and I write because I hope my writing will bring someone else pleasure.”
 

            “Exactly how does writing give you pleasure?”
 

            My friend is an inquisitive creature—kind of like a kid who finds another question in every answer. I wanted to tell her “I don’t know,” but she had tested me with the challenge of pulling wisdom from where I thought none existed.
 

            “All my life I’ve wanted to learn about things that interested  me. I turned my interest acquisitions into hobbies throughout my life.  I learned to do embroidery, crocheting, knitting, dress-making, painting in oils, painting in watercolors, cutting mats and framing paintings, gardening, cooking, and the list is endless.
 
           “Now, to answer your question, Why do you write? 
     

            “I write because I tried every hobby I could think of, and many became rote after a while, leaving my brain to search out other interesting hobbies. Writing was the exception. When I write a book,  I travel, I see things, I experience things, I fall in and out of love, I cry with sadness, I become angry at inequities, and I find more suspense and challenges than I could ever encounter in real life.  Call it dreaming if you like, but writing is the only activity I’ve ever attempted that was never boring.
 

            “Therefore, if you use it, you won’t lose it, and you retain your memory longer. Does that answer your question?”
 

            “Sounds too much like work to me. I think I’d rather explore my recliner.”
 

            “Oh well…….”