Day by Day
Why write? Motives vary; need universal
April 10, 2017
This Week News
By Liz Thompson
I pushed the loaded cart of ancient records, videotapes and books into the used bookstore.
Standing at the cash register, where employees would look through my personal stash and give me a dollar value, I saw books piled so high, they looked as though a breeze would topple them.
Late author and humorist Erma Bombeck once said, “It is probably true that every person has a book in him fighting to get out. What is crucial is that if something is going to happen, the wannabe writer has to commit by putting all those hopes and dreams on the line. It’s time to stop talking about clever titles and get the book written.”
I was overwhelmed — and as a writer, a little discouraged — by the number of books I saw, all these “hopes and dreams” people had put to paper, tape or film. I wondered about my own motivation to write.
I love writing — but bestsellers? Not likely. I write to inspire and inform.
I posted this question on a Goodreads author group: “What motivates you to write with so much competition?”
Sue, who lives in Canada, replied, “My motivation in writing my first book was my desire to achieve wellness. (My book) was never written with the intention to become a bestseller, but rather to reach those who could benefit from the information … and for those who did read it, that is exactly what they reported that it has done for them … mission accomplished.”
Leonide, an Oregon resident, said it seems the world has enough books, so why write another to add to the excess?
“I continue to write books because it is a creative drive inside of me that demands expression,” she said. “There are stories that simmer within and insist on being cooked fully and set out for the feast. Whether they get consumed and appreciated is outside my control.”
She markets, like most authors.
“I certainly hope others will read and enjoy my books; writing the book itself is the most important thing,” she said.
Jim, a cartoonist, said, “As a kid, once a week I would head down to the bookstore for a portal into another world. Every week I’d get to tour an exotic location and imagine another life. I just want to give that experience to someone else.”
Lily in San Francisco writes because if she doesn’t, she feels as if part of her has checked out.
“It’s as important to me as food,” she said. “The words are like a communion wafer that melts on my tongue, nourishing body and soul.
“Writing itself is a mysterious act. Putting symbols on a page not only connects us with our own inner worlds but also with others.”
Kate loves used bookstores.
“I still remember the joys of rooting through the secondhand book shop … hunting for a Georgette Heyer novel that I didn’t already have (since they were out of print). Sheer joy to find one and hold it close … until I got it safely home. It was a ticket to another world.
“We authors capture what’s in our heads in words. Black on white. It has no substance until the reader re-creates the people and the world inside their own head. It’s a kind of miracle. No images provided … only words, yet their imagined movie of your book will have scenery, props and characters fashioned by them from just words.
“With 7 billion people on the planet, there’s a good chance that at least one of those people will connect with your story.”
Don of New York said, “I must write, and I even wake in the middle of the night to pen down a thought that comes to me, or risk losing an amazing idea for a story or a book.”
Rita, who lives in Australia, said simply, “I write because I can!”
I left the bookstore $5 richer. My discouragement fled soon after and new words swirled in my head.
A writer friend a little closer to home, Janet Shailer of Grove City, said, “My mind always has ideas flying around, like a plane waiting for clearance to land.”
Eventually, our ideas land and words appear on the page. And so our story begins.
Day by Day 