Poetry Place Collected Poems

why do we write?

Why do we write?

40 lines

A writer is often asked
Why do you write?
What motivates you?
What keeps you going?

How do you handle the constant rejections?
The self-doubts
What comes with the writer’s life?

I write as many writers do
Because I must
Because the damn muse
Will never leave me alone

The characters in my head
Demand to let their voices be heard
Demand to be freed
To tell their tales

And I am a slave
To my muse
Who takes me
Where she will

No matter what
I must write every day

Usually starting my day
Drinking coffee
Watching the news unfold

Writing my thoughts
Letting the poetry flow
Out of my soul

Bleeding onto the computer screen
The words waiting to be spoken
To tell their tale
Before the day is over

That is why I write
Because I can not write
That is the Buddha nature
Of being a writer after all.

Most of us probably started writing to fulfill the requirements of our teachers in school. We wrote to pass the course and gain recognition through grade assignments.

During some self-analysis upon leaving the Navy and starting my job search, I realized that the things I enjoyed the most and had the most success with involved writing of some sort. Therefore, a technical writing job seemed to be the perfect union of that interest with my engineering education. For the next few years, I wrote to instruct field technicians on how to implement retrofit modifications on aircraft.

Later, in the business world, I wrote to enlighten co-workers, managers, and customers about procedures, policies, and systems.

Nowadays, while I sometimes still write for those reasons (as I’m doing here), many more factors keep me engaged in this wondrous process. That’s probably the case with you, too.

If you feel a need to express your most personal response to this mysterious, beautiful, and sometimes painful world in the shapes, colors, sounds, and smells of your imagination, creative writing can provide a powerful means of therapeutic release.

The pure joy that comes with meeting the challenges of crafting the language into something meaningful, like molding a piece of clay with your hands, can be a refreshing recreational outlet.

Many writers are driven to publish their work on the printed page. I can vouch for the exhilarating sense of satisfaction that comes with that first acceptance letter.

Upon receiving a reviewer’s comment that one of my stories reminded him of a stand-up comedian’s routine, I realized that the desire to entertain/is also a driving force that keeps me motivated.

For whom do you write?

Many writers resist criticism and defend their writing with the claim that they write only for themselves. While some therapeutic or recreational writing may not be intended for sharing with an audience, writing is usually employed as a means of communicating with other people. Of course, the grocery lists and phone numbers you scribble on scraps of paper probably are intended for only you. However, those things within you that won’t rest until they are given voice--the burning memories that linger in your heart and the fanciful fugitive images floating around in your head--must be shared with someone else to satisfy the need for expression.

When you sit down to write, you should keep your audience in mind. Whether it be your friends and family, a group of readers interested in a particular genre as identified here at WDC, or an editor for a specific publication, the language you use serves as a bridge between you and the reader. Choose accordingly.

Your reasons for writing along with your prospective audience will influence the voice you use in your writing, as the relationship between the writer and the reader develops into a true collaboration in this wondrous experience.

Today’s Practice Session: Write about your objective(s) as you continue on this marvelous journey.

Then ponder the postings of your peers and exchange views about the various motivations that keep us all inspired in this venture.