Your True Purpose for Writing

[Philip Overby]

What is your true purpose for writing? Is it of achieving some dream of being a best-selling author? Do you like to do it for fun? Is it some kind of angsty way to get back at your parents?

I think everyone deep down wants people to like their writing, but I feel a lot of amateur writers are only writing for themselves. What they like to read, what they think sounds cool, whatever. Maybe they aren't taking into account any sort of audience.

When I was briefly doing submission fielding for a small press, a lot of people sent me writing that baffled me. It was if they were just ignoring the basic rules of story-telling in lieu of writing something that "sounded cool."

I think it's important to write what you enjoy writing, even if that means you'll never be widely read. If that's your main purpose, great.

However, someone posed the idea to me, that would I "sacrifice my art" in order to make a quick buck writing some drivel middle-aged housewives read. And I said, "Yes."

Why? Well, even if the writing was crap, I would enjoy it and be making money off something I love. Isn't that what most people really want?

So in the end, is your "true" purpose in writing to "just be a hobby" or is it to "make some money?"

It really can't be both. Not feasibly.

 

[Ophiucha]

When people ask me why I write, I tell them that I am only good at two things: writing and cooking. And I am a picky eater. Of course, I am a picky reader as well, but I'll sooner read Twilight than eat something in a spinach dip. I am a housewife. I sometimes take up short jobs as an editor, or do work in a library or bookstore, but first and foremost my job is to clean my house and cook for my husband, and I'd raise any children we have. I need something to do, and writing is by far the best option for me. I take up gardening in the warmer months, I play video games, I read, but I need to feel like I am doing something. Something productive. As it is, I am well read and can use words well if I put my mind to it. I would certainly love to be published and get money from my writing, but it is not necessarily my goal. I guess I write so I feel like I have a job that I love. I love being a housewife, of course, but it doesn't have the same feeling to it.

 

[Chilari]

I know you said it can't be both, but I really feel I do write for both reasons. It is a hobby, and I love to write, but with certain things at least I am writing to get published, because I want to make money from doing something I love. The original fiction I write is generally something I plan to publish, if I can only finish it to an acceptable standard. But I also write fanfiction, most of which I keep to myself, because I enjoy writing it and I want the stories to go in a particular way which the original writers didn't take it, or I want to use it as escapism and write my own little story with me as the main character.

With what I'm working on at the moment, my goal is publication. So much so that I deliberately made one of my characters physically resemble one of my favourite actors but a few years older (you know, just in case). Provided I can actually finish it, I will send it off to publishers and continue editing it and sending it off until someone says yes.

 

[Philip Overby]

My opinion is this: I have a better chance of something silly I write getting published, than the serious stuff I've spent years on. Maybe it's a change in direction for me, but obviously the sillier stuff I write is more fun for me and gives me necessary catharsis. I feel like my "serious" phase of writing is over. It's gotten me nowhere and I have spent years and years working on my "opus of the month" that I have yet to finish anything.

So my feeling is that if I can get paid somehow for writing silly stuff that has little artistic value, then that's great. It's the more likely path. I think working on one or two serious things every so often will probably be my "hobby writing." Maybe one of them will turn out great and I can get it published. Who knows?

But as of right now, I think writing silly stuff is more enjoyable and more lucrative for me. Is it better than my serious stuff? No. But it's the more attractive pursuit at the moment.

 

[Telcontar]

I write to tell stories and to entertain. If somebody asked me the question they asked you, I would tell them "I have no art to sacrifice."

However, I would never bother writing something that doesn't entertain me. I am speaking fictional and creative writing, of course. Were I contracted to do it, I would write copy or technical manuals just like I would do many jobs for the right price.

My ultimate aim is to be published, certainly. I'm prepared to wait as long as I must to achieve that. In the meantime, I share my work with friends, family, and the denizens of the internet forums I frequent.

 

[Chilari]

I should, I feel, add that I also desire to publish non-fiction stuff I write. I really enjoy the academic research I undertake as part of my university course, and hope to make a career of it - I've recently spoken to my personal tutor about publication of an article in an academic peer-reviewed journal. After my dissertation is marked, I'll be submitting it to a journal. Similarly I plan on reworking my undergraduate dissertation for publication. So publication is a key ambition for me, though journal publication won't net me any money, but it will help me get a job.

 

[DavidP]

You have to enjoy it first and foremost. If you enjoy words, you will write for free (on forums for example) just to flex your writing muscle.

I never subscribed to the idea of it being an "art" that must be read at any cost (or no profit).

Our books are good, they sell, and they get good reviews, because I know the subject matters intimately. That, coupled with the fact that I enjoy words, makes for a good read (after the editors have tweaked it somewhat).

But ultimately yes, its for profit. We all need food in the cupboards. Pursuing the "art" without a firm game plan is not a route to profit.

 

[At Dusk I Reign]

I write because I enjoy writing. Nothing more, nothing less. Were I on the lookout for a lucrative hobby I'd take up plumbing as a sideline. Were I on the lookout for a lucrative profession I'd become a lawyer. As far as I'm concerned a book's worth can't be quantified in terms of how much money it can bring in from punters.

The Lord of the Rings would've been worth writing even if Tolkien's wife was the only person to ever read it: it gave the Prof pleasure to create a world in which his languages lived and breathed. Isn't that reward enough? Why does everything have to revolve around a payoff?

 

[Mdnight Falling]

My true purpose for writing... I'm not really sure LOL. when I was little I did it for fun, and I still do.. But now.. I think I want to leave my mark on the world Writing is about all I have that I'm really good at, so I've been told.. Even if my book doesn't sell a single copy while I'm alive, I'll have them and who knows.. At some point someone will read it and maybe they'll like it and my world and my creations will get to live on even if I'm not there to see it

 

[Kelise]

I've thought over how to answer this question since it was posted... and I still don't have any answer other than 'it's something I need to do.' And I can't think of any other reason. I would like to be published, but even if I never am, I'll always be writing. I don't write for the money, fame, attention, or anything... it's just something I need to do daily or else I'd be utterly miserable.

 

[Donny Bruso]

I write because I feel a deep-seated need to build things. It can be writing, building things, drawing, anything creative will give me the fix I'm looking for. I'd love to be published. I think it's a distant and possibly unrealistic dream, given my 'creative ADD' as Phil coined it. Someday I'll finish a manuscript and send it off to be duly rejected, but it is not this day. Today, we drink! (because I live in a town full of Irishmen and it's St. Patrick's day.)

 

[Abomination]

However, someone posed the idea to me, that would I "sacrifice my art" in order to make a quick buck writing some drivel middle-aged housewives read.

I take issue with the idea that "art" must be somehow pure, i.e. not motivated by anything other than itself, and elite, i.e. appreciated by aficionados. Not that you are implying that. The question, however, as posed by others in my experience, of sacrificing one's art, implies that when any other considerations --money, popularity, etc-- come into play, then the artwork is somehow lessened.

Seems a bit elitist to me. That's not to say there isn't a place for "high art." There is. And it's great when something of superior quality (e.g. Lord of the Rings) actually gains popularity. However, for much of our history art as part of culture has been--and I believe should be-- somewhat interactive. At least that which gets entrenched in cultures is not one sided. Someone creates a story or a dance or a song, people read/watch/listen/employ it. They love it or they hate it. Maybe it spawns copycats, or maybe people avoid it like the plague. For better or worse, it affects the cultural pool and the cultural pool affects it. Art isn't about the elites, it's about the everyday people who consume it, are affected by it, and affect it themselves.

There are books that I hate. I mean, really, really hate, books I wish had never even been a thread in someone's imagination, books that make me think that literature is dead, and the population that consumes them and the companies that produce them are doomed. Some of these books are popular. Some are not. But when I step back and think of the art of writing as a piece of culture, rather than as some exclusive ideal, I realize how important those books that I hate are.
Maybe they have no literary value. Maybe they were created for money or fame. But they bring enjoyment to people. Many people or a few people. Not to me. Not to university professors. Maybe not to critics, or respectable literary journals. But those people aren't the sum of culture. They're part of it, sure. But so are the middle aged housewives, and the teenagers and that guy working at McDonalds. Is it really a sacrifice to make something enjoyable and available for more of the population?

Ok. Off the soap box now, before this turns into a book. And it could. Really. Basically, the point is...
I want to create great art. I've got a few projects that may never see the light of day because they're not commercial, or they aren't good by traditional standards--I work on them only for their own sake. But I've also got projects that I want to sell. I want people to read my stories, and either love them or hate them, but at least read them, which means they have to sell. And I wouldn't consider working on those to be a sacrifice.

 

[Donny Bruso]

The irony about creating things for other people to enjoy, (which is basically what most of us are trying to do) is that what people enjoy is so subjective. Take The Catcher in the Rye for instance. It never gets filed under fantasy. Usually under fiction or 'classics' if your bookstore has that section. The one I worked in filed it under 'literature' which seemed rather redundant in a bookstore, but I digress.

The Catcher in the Rye is probably my sister's favorite book. I can't read the damn thing. It bores me to tears. Seriously. I try to read the 'classics' and they bore me. I despise the characters for their poor creation and the either lack of plot or boring plot, depending on the book. I'm sure you could find people who would say the same thing about my work.

My point is that writing for other people's enjoyment is a lost cause. Write something you enjoy. Maybe if you send it to a publisher they want it altered a bit, but in the end it's your work, and you are the one who has to be satisfied with your name emblazoned across the cover, so don't compromise your hard work just for the sake of having your writing published. Sooner or later you will find a publisher who won't ask you to compromise your work for the sake of publishing.

 

[drkpyn]

First of all, I love world building. One day I decided that I should share the worlds I created with others. Secondly, my novel, should I ever finish it, is driven by one central theme that I want to share with the reader. I write because I believe it's an idea worth sharing. Finally, it's fun! I hope that everyone here would say the same!

 

[Mdnight Falling]

to me anything that brings joy to even one person is worth putting down on paper >^.^<

 

[Meg the Healer]

Five years ago I got my massage therapy license and we held an open house for the next year's prospective students. We all got asked why we wanted to be a massage therapist. Most people's answers were - "because I want to help people". Don't get me wrong, I want to help people too, but five years ago - my answer was this: "I'm in it for the money. Massage is a growing field and an alternative medicine. The baby boomers are getting older and there's money to be had. And if they want to pay me - I'll take the job. So I'm in it for the money." Since then the economy has tanked and I still work 2 jobs. But my love for massage hasn't lessened. In fact, I'm no longer "in it for money." I get paid for what I do (even by friends & family) but I'm not charging a buttload for it because I know it's going to help people and I know I'm good. If people can't afford to see you, then you aren't getting any money. If you lower your price, then people will slowly start coming. If one of the other MT's needs off because they want to spend time with family - I'll take their load off. Yes, the money is good, but mostly because I enjoy doing it. It's unlike anything I've ever done before.

The point of all this is that when I first started writing 15 years ago - I think it was the same. I wanted the fame and fortune. But as I grew older and as my writing changed, my writing changed me. I don't care if I don't make a lot of money (or any money) off the book I'm writing. I just want to be able to say "see, I did that. I had an idea and it was good enough to be published." And like massage, people will keep coming back to you if you're good. And if my book is good, then people will keep reading it and really - that's all I want. If it makes it to high fortune and HP/LOTR fame, then I'm okay with that too, but the pressure of trying to make it that way - is something I can live without.

So I write because it makes me happy. And people have enjoyed my stories and storytelling and really just reading someone else's work a loud because they think I have a nice voice. In a few years - this answer may change again - but for now, my true reason for writing is because I'm happier when I write.

 

[Mdnight Falling]

I couldn't have said it better myself Meg >^.^<

 

[Amorus]

Therapy

 

[Ravana]

Uhm… I write because, well, I write. No "purpose" involved. I write regardless of whether or not I ever expect anyone to read it, or ever intend to show it to anyone (and I have written things I never intend to show anyone–and I don't mean because of quality, either!); I would write even if there were nobody to show it to. I occasionally decide to put what I write to a purpose–if I'm writing it anyway, might as well, right?–but apart from the very rare commission, I don't write for a purpose.

For me, it's very much the same as if I were asked why I read: how could I not?

would I "sacrifice my art" in order to make a quick buck writing some drivel middle-aged housewives read. And I said, "Yes."

Hah–in a stone cold minute. Problem is, I haven't a clue how to write for that audience. If I did, I'd be cranking 'em out… under an assumed name. Less because of pride in my "art" than because I don't want to be an object of adulation (let alone obsession) to tens of thousands of middle-aged housewives.…

 

[Philip Overby]

Hah—in a stone cold minute. Problem is, I haven't a clue how to write for that audience. If I did, I'd be cranking 'em out… under an assumed name. Less because of pride in my "art" than because I don't want to be an object of adulation (let alone obsession) to tens of thousands of middle-aged housewives.…

The key? Pirates. Open-shirted pirates.