Whether you’re a writer or you want to be one, you should know the answer to these questions:
- Would I still write if I didn’t make any money from it?
- Would I still write this particular story even if no one would read/buy/like it?
Now, writers do make money. It just can be a long and arduous road to get there, depending on the path you chose.
And there are generally readers for pretty much anything – it is just a matter of how many readers there potentially are for that particular story, and knowing how to reach them.
So, if you can make money and have readers, why ask the two questions in the first place?
Because as fun and rewarding writing for a living is, it is also challenging, frustrating, infuriating, difficult, and sometimes, downright complicated.
Whether you write, fiction, non-fiction, or both, the above statement holds.
So, the two questions come in handy. The first one tells you if you have what it takes, and the second tells you how much you love a story.
It’s perfectly okay to answer no to either or both.
In fact, if you are not emotionally attached to your story ideas (question 2), you might have an easier time building an audience or selling to editors. Because if one doesn’t sell, you move on. The downside of not being attached to a story idea is that you might give up too soon. You might not always recognize what works, and you might be pulling your hair out in the middle of your novel when things have started to sag.
If you love a story idea, you will pull through writer’s block, the initial phases where no one knows your name and feel like you’re writing into the void. And you will end up selling stories close to your heart, maybe years after their conception.
If you are only in it for the money, more power to you. But honestly, there are easier, less frustrating ways to earn a living.
I wish we all became Dan Browns and Sophie Kinsellas overnight. But no one becomes a Dan Brown or Sophie Kinsella overnight, including Brown and Kinsella themselves.
Why being a writer is can be so maddening is another story for another post.
You’ve probably guessed it: My answer to both questions is a resounding yes.
I absolutely love to write. I can and do other jobs in addition to writing, whether it is for fun, money, or both. But I could never stop writing, and writing could never be anything but my first and biggest love.
Today is I Love to Write Day. And in its honor, I compiled the 11 reasons I Love to Write.
Entertainment: for myself
I love to have fun. I know everybody does, to some extent. But I try to maximize the fun I’ll have in every situation whenever I can.
Partly because I couldn’t always have as much fun as I wanted as a kid. (And later as an adult…well, in addition to the usual challenges, we’ve been going through a pandemic!)
OK, back to my childhood…
I was an only child who had some bad luck when it came to friends. I was also what we call an apartment kid. I lived in a building, and not in a detached house. We lived in the city, and not in the suburbs. Don’t even get me started on the lack of parks when I was growing up. And let’s not even think about how lousy the education system was/is.
Just imagine: I had to take private tutoring on the weekends as a kid in fourth and fifth grades so I could get into a decent, public but revered middle/high school so I could have a good future with good options. Yes, I was middle class, and we could afford it.
But it is still horrifying to let go of being a kid to study. And yes, it is worse if you can’t afford the courses. (The system did rear its ugly head during and after high school, during and after uni too. I’m still suffering from chronic health and mental health issues as a result, which regularly decreases the quality of my life.)
Add some hyperactivity and restlessness and getting easily bored…
But I had one thing: Imagination. A wild, also hyperactive imagination.
I often liked escaping through my thoughts if I had to sit somewhere for long or tolerate something I didn’t like.
And when I realize I could make stuff up, I felt like a genius. I had “cured” boredom, and I could even handle most of my problems through it.
Everything became more fun.
Entertaining others
Being able to entertain yourself so you are never bored is a great talent, but it is even more rewarding when you can also entertain others.
I think I was around 15 or 16 when I discovered this. I had spent an amazing month in the summer in Santa Barbara, and all the sun/surf/sand inspired my novel, A Change Would Do You Good.
But when I first created it, it was a TV series.
When my friends heard I was writing this fun episodic show set in Cali and starring quirky characters, they wanted to read.
So, I printed each episode out and handed the pages over.
Sometimes, I even lent them my cassette tapes if the story mentioned a specific song. (Yes, I’m this old.)
It was such a fantastic experience to have them talk about my characters, critique the events, list their favorites and least favorites.
This experience also taught me a valuable lesson in writing: People’s tastes vary so much – even among people who are enjoying the same thing. One friend’s favorite character was another’s least favorite, for instance.
Escapism: to escape and to help escape
I’m huge on escapism, as reason 1 probably already made clear.
Living in the moment, depending on where you are and who you are with, can be overrated.
In high school, I was a good student, but I didn’t really care for any of the subjects other than English.
And since I could get good grades just by reviewing lesson materials, I could often be found writing down the events and dialogues of my stories if the subject matter didn’t interest me or I couldn’t stand the teacher. (Yes, I’m an outliner/plotter. Not a strict one, but I do know what will happen in the story before I type.)
And while I think more fondly of some high school moments now than I did at the time, I was still so bored so often that I was a very productive writer.
I imagined what-if scenarios, what I would do in those scenarios, what activities I would want to do and which stuff I’d hate to try…Where would I live when I had a lot of money? What would I wear when I won the Oscar for Best Screenplay?
You know, regular teenage stuff…:)
When I write, realism isn’t nearly as important as escapism and entertainment. I’m not saying research and facts aren’t important, they absolutely are.
But if I want to write about a young glam metal (think Motley Crue, KISS, Def Leppard) band that made it in the present (and I have), I’m not going to care this genre reached its peak in the 80s and 90s.
Writing is fantasy fulfillment, and why not create the type of world you’d want to live in?
This is the reason I don’t write dystopias. I love a fun action comedy and a great thriller. And if/when I have those ideas, I write them as well.
But my most beloved genre is romcom (or romcom drama) because it makes it easier and more fun to escape with.
- Romance
This has strong ties to escapism and entertainment. Comedy makes you laugh, drama keeps you grounded (and let’s face it, the right kind and amount of conflict keeps things exciting), and romance gives you passionate bliss.
If you’re a romantic who knows exactly what she wants (and what she definitely doesn’t want), sometimes writing your own stories is the best way to go.
Life is a bit harder when you are a romantic. A couple of experiences is usually enough to get you out of the hopeless and optimistic labels, but you still keep your ideals. You just know your turn-ons and turn-offs, and I’m not talking just about the sexual stuff.
It gets even harder when you also love to have fun. Because people tend to equate fun with casual flings and one-night stands, and the concept of being a romantic with wanting a ring on your finger.
You’re left in the middle wanting excitement and affection, honesty and laughter, consistency and thrill – all at once.
Your friends might chew your ear off about their expectations, beliefs and experiences, mostly deeming you either a dreamer or a pessimist who hates romance. Or funnily enough both, just by different people.
I confuse people because I adore rock music and dislike poetry. I like looking at flowers but I’m neutral about buying or receiving them. I might buy cute candles but I never light them. My favorite movies range from Braveheart to Speed, The Crow to Strange Days, Pride and Prejudice to Bruce Almighty.
I don’t read comics but I’ll happily watch the movies. I don’t generally do video games, except if you have Guitar Hero or Tekken. Then you might have to fight me to for a turn. The most thing romantic you can do is to be there for me when I need you. You really don’t need to stand outside my window with a boombox.
This is NOT bid to say “Oh, look how different am I.” It IS a bid to demonstrate we are all different, and we are both joined and separated by the kind of stories we enjoy.
I market my books by saying I write romcoms even guys can enjoy. (I have asked guys: They confirmed.)
Which basically means: I create good-looking characters but those good looks aren’t dedicated 10 pages.
My characters have other purposes in life than finding love. And after finding love, they actually make an effort to keep it.
The romance is strong and vibrant, but these characters have other people in their life that matter a whole lot: friends, family, co-workers, neighbors. They have dreams and hobbies. Their relationships aren’t toxic or co-dependent.
I write the kind of characters I’d fall for, the kind of romances I wouldn’t mind being in.
I don’t kill off my protagonists. I don’t give them terminal illnesses. And they don’t cheat on each other.
They know themselves. And if they don’t know what they want to do in life, they aren’t above asking for or accepting help to figure stuff out.
And most importantly, I provide happy endings.
Living countless, limitless lives
This list isn’t in an order of importance. All of these reasons are significant to me.
I love to write fiction because I don’t get to live one life; I live countless lives.
Because when I write, I am all my characters. I might have more in common with some than others, but so far, I’ve been a rocker, pro surfer, fashion designer, cop, marketing professional, thriller author, PR genius, actor, model, therapist, journalist, student, teacher, race car driver and more.
I’ve skydived, spoken different languages, danced, sung to thousands of people in a stadium, won surfing competitions, made the world a better place, driven a Jaguar, strutted on the catwalk, and a lot more.
As you can imagine, I’ve done and been only a fraction of these things in real life.
This is an absolute blessing, and I wouldn’t change this for the world.
Oh, don’t get me wrong. You can give me the world. But even if I had it, I would still write.
Learning – about different cultures, jobs, personalities.
In this fast and dizzying chaos that we call life, it’s hard to take time to sit down and learn about all the things you are wondering about.
You need to make money, exercise, see friends, make time for family, go on that date, cook, run errands, sleep, travel, spend some time on your hobbies, make healthy changes, see doctors about your problems…
Help!
Right?
Except, when you are a writer, learning is a legitimate, paid activity. It is an essential part of your job.
What’s that pretty, quaint town in France called?
What’s the distance between San Diego and Stanford?
Does this happen like this in real life, or do I take the liberty of creative license for a more entertaining story?
What’s the name of this dance move?
Can someone with this job afford this apartment?
And a whole lot more…
And then there is the non-fiction part too.
You get paid to learn what you want to learn. And that’s priceless.
Having a place to apply/share/teach what I’ve learned and studied
I did learn, and then I get to share it.
You can write what you know. You can find out about what you want to write.
Either way, you get to share it all with others.
Therapy
Good therapy and the advancement of psychology/psychiatry are life-savers.
Having a good understanding of the human mind, and especially your own, is a life-saver. It enhances compassion and empathy. It increased the quality of your life. It helps you deal with trauma and slay your demons. It improves your physical health.
I go to therapy in real life, and honestly, I wish I had started earlier.
I do my best to destigmatize mental health issues, and I underline the importance of recognizing the need to talk to a competent, professional who passes your vibe check. (Your personalities and the therapist’s approach need to be a match.)
So, in practically every story, I take a character or two to therapy.
I also write essays that cover mental health.
Going to actual therapy is great. But honestly, for me, the best therapy is the combination of my therapist and my writing.
The relief, the fun, and the understanding you receive from others is something else.
And when a reader reaches out to you and says, “Thank you! I’ve been through this exact same thing.”
That’s the best feeling.
Money/living/career
Would I write if I wasn’t being paid? Yes.
Do I love the fact that I’m being paid? Also yes.
Writing is a skill. It’s a craft. It’s hard work. Sometimes, it’s even blood and tears.
It takes patience. It can cause issues with loved ones. It can create health problems.
Yes, it can help with health problems. But with all the amount of sitting, wrist action, the unpleasantness of rejection and hair-pulling, it also messes with your health.
So, it is only fair that we get paid.
People need therapy. Escapism. Entertainment. Being informed. Love. Big dreams. Different worlds…
I firmly believe that while money can’t buy happiness on its own, it definitely helps with buying what makes you happy.
The possibilities.
There’s a lot that being able to write can bring.
I’ve been invited to conferences (all expenses paid) and got to see different parts of the world. I’ve been reached out to by a reader in Britain and read by someone in Spain.
I got into programs to study things I’m interested in. It helped me express myself, get to know amazing people, work with awesome editors, and a whole lot more.
Sharing my love of a particular story/for characters with an audience
Would I write if no one liked, read, or saw my work? Yes.
I love living my head, but I also love pouring those words and characters and stories out on the screen and the paper.
I love being read by people I know and don’t know.
Have you ever enthusiastically discussed a favorite, book, movie or TV series with a fellow fan? It’s so much fun! You also feel seen and understood. You don’t feel alone or like you are weird. You laugh and cry together.
Now take that feeling, and multiply that by a billion.
That’s how awesome it feels when someone enjoys your work and you’re talking about the events/characters/message/lines of your stories.
Priceless. Life-changing. Like a million dollars.
Never had a million dollars, but I’m assuming it’d be a life-changer.
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Different writers have different reasons. Experienced writer, journalist, and published author Olga Mecking writes because:
“Writing allows me to organize my thoughts and tell people about things I find interesting or important. Also, I get to talk to really smart people about what interests them and then I get to tell it to more people.
I always wanted to be a translator, and for a person who speaks many languages it makes sense, except it didn’t happen. But writing is similar, but now I translate whole concepts, not words.
I also like learning new stuff and writing is a very wide area ranging from fiction to copywriting so there is a lot to learn.”
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Your reasons why you love to write might be similar or different. But in the end, we all love it!
Happy “I love to write” day to all!
Why do you love to write?
