Why We Write

I heard writer Delia Ephron say today on NPR, We write to get to another place."  I like that.

I have a plaque that says, "Why do writers write?  Because it isn't there."  That's trying to be too clever, but I like it, also.  We believe that what we write, no matter how much it uses one of the basic plot lines, "wasn't there before."

I have heard friends say that they write because there are characters trying to get out of their head, characters who drive around with them in the back seat of the car, holding conversations, and the writers eavesdrop.

I can relate to all of these.  I like to take bits and pieces of life I see or hear or experience and weave them into something new, so to me it's like knitting or weaving, whereas others might use a building or a cooking metaphor.

I also write because stories are important and stories matter.  It is interesting to me that the Bible is so full of stories but the Qu'ran is not.  What does that mean for the world views of these cultures?  Middle Eastern cultures have stories, of  course, like the 1001 Nights.  But they are not in their scriptures. 

Why do you write?  Maybe to make money, but I haven't found that secret yet.

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