Great post, Matt! Terribly sorry to hear about your fatigue. I'm a fellow soldier in the battle, and find that summer, especially when the weather is good and most people are out enjoying it, is when I'm at my worst.
Recently, I too have been pondering this question of why we write. Why, when my body aches and my brain is a slushy bayou, do I get up at the crack of dawn and set my one good hand to the keyboard? One reason is that there are few things I can still do, so I have to keep at what remains to me. That's not reason enough, though. I write for all the reasons you've listed, to emote, to affect, to connect, to explore. Great fiction has moved me, and has sometimes altered me. Sometimes, it has even stunned me. I write because I want to be a good enough writer to have that same effect on a reader. The only way to get there is to keep writing.
Yes, why does it have to be worse over summer (although as someone who suffers from lack of body heat, I'm very grateful for the warmer days at least - every cloud and all that!)
I love all your reasons to write - keeping what remains to us when our body has decided to go off the rails seems so important; and I've definitely felt the same. I used to play the piano, but slowly, slowly that has become more and more challenging, whereas writing requires much less physical exertion, and still provides a creative / emotional outlet. Hope you keep finding the joy in writing and you can keep writing towards your goals.
Illness and symptoms don’t seem to get in the way of insight after insight, elegantly expressed. I look forward to reading more from this wise literary soul.
I must thank Kathy Fish for alerting me to your posts. This is the first I've read, and I found a lot to like. I write because my imagination overflows with stories that entertain me hugely. I write because the more I do, the better I am at crafting these stories. And speaking of craft, I'm grateful for the exercises you included in this post; [emotion] is [colour], etc. has set me to happy work. Many thanks for that generosity and for your thoughtful words. I'm now a subscriber and look forward to the next post.
Wonderful to read this, Charlotte. I love that your imagination is overflowing with stories and that you get so much out of writing - I feel that's how it should be. Thanks for subscribing!
Hi Matt, I thought about this question some years ago. To keep me motivated and inspired every day, this is what I say:
I write for respect, the only thing I've ever been respected for. The only thing that makes me stand out from the billions who have come before, and the trillions that will come after.
I love this Thomas - it's like a mantra. Our stories are so unique to who we are as human beings - as you say, they make us stand out from everyone else.
Firstly, I really hope you start to feel better soon. Sending you get well thoughts from Western Australia. I loved this post, Matt, thanks very much for all the wonderful insight and detail. I've recently discovered writing. I write, because I really enjoy the challenge of making words into stories. When I embark on writing a new story, I literally have no idea what shape it will take. At first this was a huge stumbling block, but I'm learning that I can start with something quite small, and then once I begin, somehow something miraculous happens and things come together and finally there is a beginning, a middle and an end, as if magic is at work. I love the process of this magic, and the not knowing where it will take me and how it will end, until it does. Of course it's never a perfect story and I inevitably spend a lot of time drafting and editing, but this polishing in itself is also a satisfying part of the process. The point that you make about writing for enjoyment, resonates, as sometimes stories won't see the light of day, while others might. And that is fine. Especially if it's not your day job. Take care, Matt.
Wonderful to hear from you Belinda and thank you for your kind words. I definitely think of story craft as being infused with magic, how our minds are capable of shaping stories out of almost nothing. Keep enjoying it and good luck taking all your stories where you want them to go.
Dear Matt. Thank you for this enlightening note, the timing is perfect. Why do I write? I write because it makes me feel alive. I write because it releases me from trauma. I write because in my writing zone I recharge my batteries. As an autistic writer I recently had troubles with executive functioning when writing on my laptop. So I went back to pen and paper for entering the zone, then copying and editing on my laptop. I hold pen and paper because the the touching, the connection of mind and matter, makes me feel centered, focused, fully present and alive. And grateful for this gift.
Wonderful to hear about why you write, Martino. I also often write with pen and paper. I'd never really thought about what you mention here before, about how it connects us to the page in a much more sensorial way than writing on laptop - but that's so true. Really glad that writing makes you feel alive and helps you as it does. Like you say, it's such a fantastic gift.
Hey Matt, the health stuff sounds hellish and brain fog is the worst for someone who writes so beautifully (and that is not to underestimate the debilitating effect of the pain). Love this post and your call to arms stirred up some fantastic responses. It reminded me of friends Chris and Rob at 'With Love Project' who travelled through Britain asking makers who work their craft with passion and purpose 'why' they do what they do ... amazing how many had never thought of the 'why'. They just 'did'. Writing, for me, is in my bones. The words slip out; I find excuses to do it ... prompts captured in a little notebook, reasons to let the words flow. The fact of it, the doing of the writing, pleases me ... a well-turned phrase, a twist in the tale, a neat conclusion, a strong character ... love all that. Of course, if someone reads it, that's amazing ... if they like it, wow ... but writing for me, for pleasure, is what does it. Have a good day ... hope you get some relief from the health issues soon. Barrie
I love the sound of the "With Love Project" - will have to look it up. I wonder if there's a general trend among artists to shift from "I do this because I love it" to "I do this because I want to achieve" and whether we maybe lose something important in that shift? But hopefully we can always push ourselves back towards doing art simply for the passion of it. I love that you mainly write for yourself - the more I do that, the happier I am. And I also think that those pieces are the ones that are more likely to resonate with readers as well.
I can't believe this film is 7 years old now. We've been friends with the boys since 2015, constantly inspired by their own 'passion and purpose'. They make beautiful films and guide folk to remember why they do things, to help them continue to do the thing they love, not to be tugged in different (often commercially-driven) directions. Writing what makes us happy absolutely must connect better with readers because they are astute enough to sense passion woven into the words (or they're not the right readers for us).
Great post, Matt. Thank you! I'm sorry to hear about your health issues....
I think I write for all of the reasons you've listed....I'll add: I write to help me understand what I think. Often I've written a story, ostensibly for the purpose of bringing me joy or bringing entertainment to the reader, and only later will I realize that in writing the story, it's been my own way of fleshing out what I think/my opinion on some matter. (I guess that is pretty close to the writing for catharsis reason). Anyway, thanks again and feel well!
I love that - writing to understand what you think. I guess a lot of us do that, taking something that is troubling us and exploring it in fiction. I definitely have stories that have emerged in a similar way.
Your posts are my favorite way to kick off my writing week, Matt, and this is one that especially resonates. Thanks for these thoughtful and thought-provoking answers to a question (why do we write?) that I think writers too often stop asking themselves (or else we just can't hear it, over the noise of everything around us!). I like Michael Mann's idea of posting this up on the wall, I may do that myself!
That's so lovely to hear, Kristen. It's wonderful to think of everyone having these different reasons to write posted up on their walls. I have a post-it on my computer that just says "Did you enjoy writing it? Nothing else matters."
I love to think of this stuck on your wall reminding you of all these reasons to write, Michael. Sometimes, it's easy to forget that writing is so much more than just publication. Glad this was a useful reminder.
Great post, Matt! Terribly sorry to hear about your fatigue. I'm a fellow soldier in the battle, and find that summer, especially when the weather is good and most people are out enjoying it, is when I'm at my worst.
Recently, I too have been pondering this question of why we write. Why, when my body aches and my brain is a slushy bayou, do I get up at the crack of dawn and set my one good hand to the keyboard? One reason is that there are few things I can still do, so I have to keep at what remains to me. That's not reason enough, though. I write for all the reasons you've listed, to emote, to affect, to connect, to explore. Great fiction has moved me, and has sometimes altered me. Sometimes, it has even stunned me. I write because I want to be a good enough writer to have that same effect on a reader. The only way to get there is to keep writing.
Yes, why does it have to be worse over summer (although as someone who suffers from lack of body heat, I'm very grateful for the warmer days at least - every cloud and all that!)
I love all your reasons to write - keeping what remains to us when our body has decided to go off the rails seems so important; and I've definitely felt the same. I used to play the piano, but slowly, slowly that has become more and more challenging, whereas writing requires much less physical exertion, and still provides a creative / emotional outlet. Hope you keep finding the joy in writing and you can keep writing towards your goals.
Illness and symptoms don’t seem to get in the way of insight after insight, elegantly expressed. I look forward to reading more from this wise literary soul.
I must thank Kathy Fish for alerting me to your posts. This is the first I've read, and I found a lot to like. I write because my imagination overflows with stories that entertain me hugely. I write because the more I do, the better I am at crafting these stories. And speaking of craft, I'm grateful for the exercises you included in this post; [emotion] is [colour], etc. has set me to happy work. Many thanks for that generosity and for your thoughtful words. I'm now a subscriber and look forward to the next post.
Wonderful to read this, Charlotte. I love that your imagination is overflowing with stories and that you get so much out of writing - I feel that's how it should be. Thanks for subscribing!
Hi Matt, I thought about this question some years ago. To keep me motivated and inspired every day, this is what I say:
I write for respect, the only thing I've ever been respected for. The only thing that makes me stand out from the billions who have come before, and the trillions that will come after.
I love this Thomas - it's like a mantra. Our stories are so unique to who we are as human beings - as you say, they make us stand out from everyone else.
Firstly, I really hope you start to feel better soon. Sending you get well thoughts from Western Australia. I loved this post, Matt, thanks very much for all the wonderful insight and detail. I've recently discovered writing. I write, because I really enjoy the challenge of making words into stories. When I embark on writing a new story, I literally have no idea what shape it will take. At first this was a huge stumbling block, but I'm learning that I can start with something quite small, and then once I begin, somehow something miraculous happens and things come together and finally there is a beginning, a middle and an end, as if magic is at work. I love the process of this magic, and the not knowing where it will take me and how it will end, until it does. Of course it's never a perfect story and I inevitably spend a lot of time drafting and editing, but this polishing in itself is also a satisfying part of the process. The point that you make about writing for enjoyment, resonates, as sometimes stories won't see the light of day, while others might. And that is fine. Especially if it's not your day job. Take care, Matt.
Wonderful to hear from you Belinda and thank you for your kind words. I definitely think of story craft as being infused with magic, how our minds are capable of shaping stories out of almost nothing. Keep enjoying it and good luck taking all your stories where you want them to go.
Dear Matt. Thank you for this enlightening note, the timing is perfect. Why do I write? I write because it makes me feel alive. I write because it releases me from trauma. I write because in my writing zone I recharge my batteries. As an autistic writer I recently had troubles with executive functioning when writing on my laptop. So I went back to pen and paper for entering the zone, then copying and editing on my laptop. I hold pen and paper because the the touching, the connection of mind and matter, makes me feel centered, focused, fully present and alive. And grateful for this gift.
Wonderful to hear about why you write, Martino. I also often write with pen and paper. I'd never really thought about what you mention here before, about how it connects us to the page in a much more sensorial way than writing on laptop - but that's so true. Really glad that writing makes you feel alive and helps you as it does. Like you say, it's such a fantastic gift.
Hey Matt, the health stuff sounds hellish and brain fog is the worst for someone who writes so beautifully (and that is not to underestimate the debilitating effect of the pain). Love this post and your call to arms stirred up some fantastic responses. It reminded me of friends Chris and Rob at 'With Love Project' who travelled through Britain asking makers who work their craft with passion and purpose 'why' they do what they do ... amazing how many had never thought of the 'why'. They just 'did'. Writing, for me, is in my bones. The words slip out; I find excuses to do it ... prompts captured in a little notebook, reasons to let the words flow. The fact of it, the doing of the writing, pleases me ... a well-turned phrase, a twist in the tale, a neat conclusion, a strong character ... love all that. Of course, if someone reads it, that's amazing ... if they like it, wow ... but writing for me, for pleasure, is what does it. Have a good day ... hope you get some relief from the health issues soon. Barrie
I love the sound of the "With Love Project" - will have to look it up. I wonder if there's a general trend among artists to shift from "I do this because I love it" to "I do this because I want to achieve" and whether we maybe lose something important in that shift? But hopefully we can always push ourselves back towards doing art simply for the passion of it. I love that you mainly write for yourself - the more I do that, the happier I am. And I also think that those pieces are the ones that are more likely to resonate with readers as well.
I can't believe this film is 7 years old now. We've been friends with the boys since 2015, constantly inspired by their own 'passion and purpose'. They make beautiful films and guide folk to remember why they do things, to help them continue to do the thing they love, not to be tugged in different (often commercially-driven) directions. Writing what makes us happy absolutely must connect better with readers because they are astute enough to sense passion woven into the words (or they're not the right readers for us).
Great post, Matt. Thank you! I'm sorry to hear about your health issues....
I think I write for all of the reasons you've listed....I'll add: I write to help me understand what I think. Often I've written a story, ostensibly for the purpose of bringing me joy or bringing entertainment to the reader, and only later will I realize that in writing the story, it's been my own way of fleshing out what I think/my opinion on some matter. (I guess that is pretty close to the writing for catharsis reason). Anyway, thanks again and feel well!
I love that - writing to understand what you think. I guess a lot of us do that, taking something that is troubling us and exploring it in fiction. I definitely have stories that have emerged in a similar way.
Your posts are my favorite way to kick off my writing week, Matt, and this is one that especially resonates. Thanks for these thoughtful and thought-provoking answers to a question (why do we write?) that I think writers too often stop asking themselves (or else we just can't hear it, over the noise of everything around us!). I like Michael Mann's idea of posting this up on the wall, I may do that myself!
That's so lovely to hear, Kristen. It's wonderful to think of everyone having these different reasons to write posted up on their walls. I have a post-it on my computer that just says "Did you enjoy writing it? Nothing else matters."
Loved this post! So useful to be reminded of all these reasons why we write. May just print this up and stick it on the wall.
I love to think of this stuck on your wall reminding you of all these reasons to write, Michael. Sometimes, it's easy to forget that writing is so much more than just publication. Glad this was a useful reminder.