I must admit, asking myself this question in the past, and having others ask me, sometimes really makes me stop and think. What AM I writing? What do I do it for?
Am I writing for money? Sure, I’d love to be rich, I think we all would, and as writers, many of us dream of landing that big publishing deal, or securing that screen contract which will advance us millions of pounds for us to be doing what we’ve been doing for years, as we put up with being flat broke!
I know many writers who have said they want to be a famous writer, and I speak of either books, poetry, or screenwriting here. You’ve heard the stories of the unknown writer who suddenly gets discovered, and catapulted from the depths of obscurity, to international fame and stardom, and a few months later we wonder how this household name was ever a nobody, but they were. They were unknown, untested, undiscovered writers, just like many of us, hoping, praying to change that as we stay up late into the night to write, edit, re-write, edit again, polishing our work, begging for someone to love it, to love us.
But me, now would I like to be famous? I’m not fussed either way. I am quite happy being an unknown writer, where my work is known, but perhaps I’m not. Also, if I were to be suddenly thrust into the spotlight, that’s fine too, I’d happily sit in front of cameras on TV and talk about my writing, no worries. Do I want to be rich? Absolutely, I’d love to reach into my pocket on a daily basis and feel more than my leg, not stay up into the night with my wife while we decide what we can afford this week and what we can’t. Who wouldn’t want total financial freedom?
I write because there are things in this world that scare me, and I need to make sense of them somehow. Writing seems as good a way as any. I write because I love hope, and all the healing it can do. I write because there is something buried deep down inside of me that hasn’t lost hope in humanity just yet, and I still believe we can come good. And I write because I love the human mind, the way it works, and the way people behave in different situations. That is what inspires me to write; hope, fear, and people. Put them all together and it’s a great story!
Do I consider myself better than anyone else? Nope. That’s not the aim. But I do hope my writing may one day inspire something in someone. It’s not my job to be better than any other write. It’s my job to be a better writer today than I was yesterday. It’s me vs me, not me vs you. I know people know more than me, I want that, I love that, because it means I’ve always got something to learn.
What inspires you to write? What drives you to create what you create, the worlds, the characters, the scenarios?
1 person likes this
Good questions. I had to think about if for a while. I love to laugh. My inspiration comes from laughing and making other people laugh. I do not have a comedic personality so writing allows that part of me to come out. I can engulf myself in the personalities of the characters and laugh while I write. When I say laugh, I mean laugh out loud belly laughs - as if I'm watching it on TV for the first time.
1 person likes this
unrequited love, revenge, bitterness - the usual
Ginger Gilley I agree, it's one that really makes me think too! I love the idea of inspiration from laughter, we all need so much of that right now. It sounds like you've got that style of writing down, what kind of things are you writing right now?
Pete Whiting ohhh Pete that's some awesome and strong inspiration there, and one many of us are no stranger too. Love it, thanks so much for that!
1 person likes this
Honestly I write because, when I do, I feel good. Like, really, really, really good. Also, Umberto Eco, a famous Italian writer and academic, once said that if you read a thousand books, you will have lived a thousand different lives; for me, same thing happens when I write as well, and there's no greater pleasure.
1 person likes this
Luca Mannea Pronto, Buongiorno Luca! Grazie. I agree, writing makes me feel fantastic, there is no feeling like it. I absolutely agree with Umberto Eco, I feel that when I write. We can create worlds on a page, build lives, and make the world do what we want it to, all in a very short space of time.
1 person likes this
Simple interest...wanna see if I can pull it off...
1 person likes this
I give people this advice.
“If you can imagine yourself doing anything else, you should do that”.
I cannot imagine doing anything else. I have just spent four months everyday (16 hours some days) rebuilding my late father’s house to get it ready for sale. Tonight was my first night off. I wrote something.
Film was my only constant growing up. It is seeped into every cell in my body. I truly expect to die holding a pen and paper.
Craig D Griffiths Hi, love that! I'm the same
I love the advice of Rainer Maria Rilke in 'Letters To A Young Poet';
"You’re asking the wrong questions!] There is only one thing you should do. Go into yourself. Find out the reason that commands you to write; see whether it has spread its roots into the very depths of your heart; confess to yourself whether you would have to die if you were forbidden to write. This most of all: ask yourself in the most silent hour of your night: must I write? Dig into yourself for a deep answer. And if this answer rings out in assent, if you meet this solemn question with a strong, simple “I must,” then build your life in accordance with this necessity…."
Kiril Maksimoski fantastic! I'm sure you can. What do you write?