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11/01/2010 • 9:07 AM 0

The Rewards of Writing: Why do you write?

Image by Tojosan via Flickr

Most of us don’t write for much money. Fame, if it comes, is fleeting. Writing is a need that can’t be fully explained. I got my first byline pretty young and before that I had letters to the editor published. It was a thrill then, narcissistic and validating. It’s not such a big deal now, although I admit I did experience a little extra pride when I had two articles in two separate magazines side-by-side on the shelf at Chapters. But why do we do it, really?

NaNoWriMo has begun! Are you off to the races? All stocked up on coffee? Good. Pace yourself. It’s a long month. Forgive yourself your lapses and keep pushing forward. You can always figure out the plot holes later.

Today I received a nice fan letter for my column. She started out with a couple of nice compliments (always a good start) and followed that with a thoughtful letter on the subject of the piece. She, too, was compelled to write on the my topic. She couldn’t expect any reward for her efforts in putting together a long letter except the passion to be heard and to expound. It felt great to stimulate such deep discussion. However, I don’t write in the hope I’ll receive the odd fan letter. Sometimes I wonder why I write at all. I managed to give it up for a few years there, but no matter what I did, I felt like I was doing something other than what I should do.

I do remember I got the bug early. When my older sister left for college she left behind an old manual Underwood. I must have been seven. Working the keys got my attention. I can’t say why. Like I said, the urge to write cannot be explained fully. I like telling stories. I began by telling them to myself.

As we begin the month-long challenge of writing a 50,000-word novel, there are lots of bits and pieces of encouragement I could prattle on about. But the most important is to feel the fun of it. Lose yourself in your story. National Novel Writing Month is a gift to make our usually solitary journey feel a little less lonely as we travel along our separate paths.

Good luck NaNoWriMo people. And when you have a moment, please do leave a comment. I’d love to know if you have any clearer idea than I why you write. For me, the answer is obscure. I was born this way. I did not choose it.