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Blogs by Robert H Drews
Why Do We Write?
2/11/2021 12:21:03 PM
Some people go to gyms, we sit at a keyboard and write. Why the exercise?
An article I recently posted, "The Value of Writing," raises interesting points about the reasons for writing. A friend of mine started journaling back in college and as far as I know continues to this day five decades later. I never asked him why, figuring it might be too personal and I have a strong built-in resistance to what I fear is butting in to someone else's life, but why do we as authors write? To earn a living, practice a hobby, to entertain, vent, get personal satisfaction when others find meaning or joy in our words? My own reasons: I get tremendous satisfaction putting down on paper my characters' experiences, challenges, and emotions, right down to coming up with their names. From time to time, I open to a random page in the books I have written, whether in print or I hope to be, and read back my sentences (and overcoming the urge to tweak them), sometimes laughing at the situations, sometimes pleased at how I was able to arrange a bad thing turn out good or a good thing turn out bad because, after all, as literary creators we can have things turn out any way we want. There is no arrogance in that. If I put my name on something for the world to see (or at least a dozen or two readers if that's to be the case) I want it to be good. For sure, I want others to find value in my writing, otherwise I'd put the manuscripts on the shelf and not bother with the exercise of self-publishing or the disappointment of agents and publishers rejecting my work. But I believe that once you start writing you may take breaks but never really stop. Just the fact that I am blogging this on a gorgeous overcast winter day when I could be doing a lot of other things (yes, I do have a life, and p.s. I also love clouds) proves my point, I suppose.
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More Blogs by Robert H Drews
• You're Healthy Until ... - Thursday, December 19, 2024
• Readers? Who Cares? - Saturday, January 6, 2024
• The Freedom of Writing and Reading - Wednesday, August 2, 2023
• Why I Write, Really - Tuesday, July 4, 2023
• Novel as an Autobiography - Monday, June 26, 2023
• The Children, Part 9 - Monday, May 15, 2023
• The Children, Part 8 - Friday, April 28, 2023
• Open End or Closed End - Friday, April 21, 2023
• The Children, Part 7 - Monday, February 13, 2023
• Shoveling Snow - Thursday, January 19, 2023
• O Christmas Tree, Our Christmas Tree - Wednesday, January 4, 2023
• The Joy of Writing - Monday, January 2, 2023
• Book Clubs - Thursday, December 22, 2022
• Why Do We Do This? - Thursday, December 8, 2022
• Happy Thanksgiving - Tuesday, November 22, 2022
• Keep the Faith - Tuesday, November 8, 2022
• Keeping the Faith - Monday, October 31, 2022
• The Children, Part 6 - Wednesday, October 19, 2022
• Home Is Where the Heart Is - Wednesday, September 21, 2022
• The Children, Part 5 - Wednesday, August 31, 2022
• The Children, Part 4 - Wednesday, August 10, 2022
• The Children, Part 3 - Thursday, July 21, 2022
• The Children, Part 2 - Wednesday, May 25, 2022
• The Children - Monday, May 9, 2022
• Reading Your Writing - Monday, April 18, 2022
• Downside of Writing - Monday, February 14, 2022
• Getting Your Legs Under You - Wednesday, February 2, 2022
• Don't Think Too Much - Tuesday, January 18, 2022
• A New Kid on the Block - Thursday, January 13, 2022
• Get Rhythm - Monday, January 10, 2022
• Good Wishes - Friday, December 24, 2021
• Why? - Sunday, December 19, 2021
• Age - Friday, December 10, 2021
• Imitation... - Monday, December 6, 2021
• A Beautiful Land - Friday, November 12, 2021
• It's All About the Heart - Tuesday, November 9, 2021
• Painting a House - Monday, September 6, 2021
• Good Books - Saturday, September 4, 2021
• Prayer and Meditation - Tuesday, August 31, 2021
• Look on the Dim Side - Monday, July 26, 2021
• Putting the Story Together - Monday, July 19, 2021
• Words - Saturday, July 10, 2021
• The Beat Goes On - Saturday, June 26, 2021
• Let Us Pause - Wednesday, May 12, 2021
• That Crappy First Draft - Tuesday, May 11, 2021
• Writer's Schlock - Wednesday, May 5, 2021
• The Obsession (Compulsion?) of Writing - Monday, April 12, 2021
• To Write or Not to Write--This Is a Question? - Wednesday, April 7, 2021
• The Risk of Writing - Monday, March 22, 2021
• Writing and Reading - Monday, February 15, 2021
• Why Do We Write? - Thursday, February 11, 2021
• The Waiting Game - Friday, February 5, 2021
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