This writing endeavor of the last month has been good on the whole. It does bring the question, "Why write?" Somewhere along the way I heard a bit of advice attributed to Mark Twain. "What is the best advice you have for an aspiring author?" the great man was supposedly asked.
"If you want to be a good writer, I have three simple words of advice," came the reply. "Write, write, and write."
This does not answer why a person should write. I think the answers to that question are many. Fundamentally one will have a sense of calling, an inner drive to do it, to put words on paper, to express thoughts clearly. Second, I think one yearns for clarity. And while this is surely much the same as calling, it goes to the desire to learn the craft well because one wants to be read. And this goes to a third reason -- writers write in hopes of saying meaningful things so well that readers will read, thus rewarding their efforts.
In sum I might say writers write because they feel an urge to do so, they love ideas and stories and want to express them well, and they want to be read.
As to the advice of Twain, I think volume, pursued diligently and thoughtfully for some years, will inevitably make one a better writer. No guarantees of great success on all metrics, but certainly better. And that's a worthy goal.
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