by Linda Ann Nickerson

Created on: September 09, 2008   Last Updated: October 25, 2010

Why Writers Write

Real writers cannot help but write. Most of us are helplessly caught up in the passion for words, particularly printed words.

Perhaps wordsmithing addiction is encoded into a writer’s DNA. Maybe a love of writing is simply an acquired taste or even a learned discipline. Still, verbal expression is habit-forming, particularly to verbophiles.

For whatever reason, a passion for phrasings arises spontaneously in writers. Most often, this seems to happen in the darkest sleepless hours of the night, in the center of a maelstrom of crowded commuters, or even in the middle of a lecture or speech.

Inspiration knows no timetable. And, when it hits, a writer must get the words out immediately. At such times, nothing else counts.

What motivates writers?

Certainly, many writers do ply their craft for pay. Writing careers abound for advertising copywriters, campaign scriptwriters, corporate speechwriters, dramatic scriptwriters, ghostwriters, magazine feature writers, news reporters, slogan writers and other communications professionals.

Other writers adore collecting their own bylines, finding satisfaction by finding their own names in print.

Still, for most writers, the act of writing itself is reward enough. Playing with creative phrasings and finding just the right wording to express an idea or emotion fascinates writers. Wordplay excites writers. Clever communication draws them.

To such folks, a well-planned paragraph can be a work of art.

A real writer may find editing and revising his or her own sentences, draft after draft, as intriguing as an athlete may find practicing new skills and strategies for his or her sport.

Do you love to write?

How can you tell if you are a real writer? Do you wonder about wordings? Do you fantasize about phrasings? Do double-entendres delight you? Do you memorize meters and reiterate rhythm when you speak or write? Do you dream of authorship, press tours and book signings?

A real writer actually enjoys writing letters and notes. He or she may journal for the pure joy of putting pen to paper. True wordsmiths enthusiastically edit their emails and tap out precise text messages. After all, for a real writer, every word shared reflects upon his or her writing reputation.

Not for fame or fortune?

Most real writers may never become best-selling published authors. But they don’t care. Those who write for the love of words are not addicted to popularity or profit, so much as a passion for expression.

A real writer will continue to share written words in any media possible. From keyboards to crayons, true writers cannot be stopped.

Wrong or right, a love of writing will persist. A writer’s fingers may fail, and his or her eyesight may fade. Still, the words will find their way out.

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