Why write?

          Why do you write?

          The folks at NaNoWriMo asked each other that question on the Office of Letters and Light blog.

          It got me to thinking, wondering about my motivations. What propels me to write? Makes it impossible for me to lay it aside?

          There are a myriad of reasons to write. For the sheer joy of it; to share something with the world; to work through emotions; to live vicariously; to vent negative emotions; to act out fantasies. At one time or another, I’ve written for all those reasons and more. Currently, I’m writing (or, more truthfully, struggling to write) in or order to regain my emotional equilibrium.

          Like a stroke victim trying to relearn how to walk and talk, what I’m doing doesn’t always feel like writing. I’ll feel words burgeoning in my mind, run to the computer, only to have them dry up. Or I’ll pull up a document, only to stare at it for twenty minutes, typing maybe five words. Even the emails I used to write to friends are a thing of the past. But, like a stroke victim, I know that constant use, even teeny, tiny movements, will re-establish the ability and desire.

          So ten minutes each day, I write. It doesn’t matter what I write. I just write. I try to write fictional vignettes, but many times that is not possible. (The words just won’t come.) Sometimes it’s journaling; sometimes an email; sometimes I verbally work through a problem or write out a prayer. But every day I write for ten minutes.

          Everyone has their reasons for writing. A Google search brings up sites like Library Thing forum or Go Into the Story or Why We Write website. For now, I write to regain my mental and emotional health. I hope soon that will change to “because I can’t stop!”

          Why do you write?