by Cody Hodge

Created on: December 24, 2008   Last Updated: December 10, 2009

Why do writers write? Why do fish swim? Why do certain people enjoy playing sports, and others enjoy to watch a play? It just is our passion, and it is something that certain people find that they need to do to find purpose in an otherwise crazy world.

Writing is a passion much like anything else in life. It doesn't matter if you are a good singer, or a great athlete, but if you enjoy singing, or enjoy playing basketball you will surely find yourself doing that in the shower, or on field on a Thursday night with your friends. Regardless of whether you have any real talent or not, you will go out and give it your all because it is something that you enjoy doing. It is rare that you will find a really good writer that has no passion for the craft of writing.

Writing is a way to express thoughts in private, or subtle ways that we cannot do during the day. I know form experience that I started writing as a way to get out all the thoughts that I hadn't had the chance to say, or knew that I couldn't say without getting trouble. Without the ability to just sit and write what is on my mind, I couldn't stay sane, I would go crazy with all the things that I left unsaid sitting in my head.

Writing is a way to open a doorway to your imagination. As much as it helps to rant while writing, I have as much fun just stringing together random words and seeing what I get. I think Dr. Suess got it right when he wrote Cat In the Hat, and came up with creatures like the Sneeches, the Huffalumps, and wrote Horton Hears A Who. His work not only speaks to children in a simple manner, but it also has a subtleness that you can appreciate as an adult.

I mean, Horton Hears A Who makes a great point. What if the world were just a speck of dust, or in this case, a tiny flower on an elephant? I think a lot of people think about that, and really would be shocked if we ever found out that was the case with our own world. The whole issue of racism with the Sneeches simply presents the issue to children, yet is still an important issue for adults. Although Suess really was writing to get children interested in reading, he does a great job with his style.

While writing can bring up serious issues, even in a non-sensical way, writing the first thing that pops into your head is a good stress relief. The other day I was having a rough day at work, and I saw this cleaning product called Fuzzy Wuzzy. It was a cleaning pad that you put on your hand, and you could dust and do other cleaning with it. For whatever reason it struck me that Fuzzy Wuzzy would probably have an English accent, and would love to write catchy poetry that could double as advertising.

A few minutes later, I had a clever jingle, and I realized that whatever had been bugging me was gone, and I was back to my normal self.

Without writing, I would be nothing. I would be stranded forever as a grocery store employee, with no voice, and no real way to talk about the things I see everyday. Writers write because it offers a commentary on our everyday lives, and just maybe our work will survive to be remembered forever.

Learn more about this author, Cody Hodge.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.