It’s the question every writer has to ask herself. Why do I write? Is it for money or fame? To improve talents and exercise skill? Do you do it because you’re god’s gift to the writing world, and it would shrivel away without your shining contribution? Do you do it because you have to?
Why do you do anything in life?
All those reasons are fine, but if happiness isn’t making an appearance in your list of motivation, then what’s the point? Life is too short, with too many amazing opportunities, that its downright silly to spend your precious time doing something that doesn’t bring you joy.
Now, that doesn’t mean that every second of the writing process is sheer bliss. Writing is HARD WORK. Sometimes it just sucks. It can be daunting and overwhelming. There might be times when you are tempted to take your whole manuscript, light it on fire, and do a naked celebratory dance around it’s shriveling ashes. (Please don’t tell me if you’ve ever done that) That’s okay! The most rewarding things in life come from hard work. As long as in the midst of your naked fire dance phase, you can still dig to the core of yourself and find that writing really does bring you happiness, then you can put some clothes on and get back to it!
As a writer, my day is busy with work and little people and life. Each day I have a hundreds other things I should be doing besides writing. In fact, writing is a sacrifice for me.
So why do I do it?
I write because it makes me happy. When I get to write, I not only escape to a new world, I create a new world, with characters and places that I love. They flow out of my head and onto the pages, often with no prodding from me. I LOVE THAT! I’m proud of myself when I improve my craft and achieve new goals. I’m excited at the possibilities writing has to offer me. I love the people who are a part of my writing life.
I may never make millions of dollars and become a famous author, and that’s okay. Writing brings me happiness. So, I can dig through the tough times, push past the words that come out as nothing but sucky crap, and face the overwhelming reality of the writing business head on because,
I write for delight.
