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What is a writer, and why is a writer? My thoughts on the importance of and the psychological reasons behind a passion that unites millions.
Journalists, novelists, even the authors of magazine headlines: they all make a living out of their ability to write.
But what does “to write” even mean?
The Cambridge Dictionary first defines the verb “to write” as “to create and record somethin [in the forms of a] book, poem, song [or] letter, [expressing] thoughts, feelings, facts, or messages”, and only secondly as “to have the job of creating books, stories, or articles that will be published”. So, a writer isn’t necessarily someone who gains money from their work, it is simply someone who puts pen to paper– or hands to keyboard- and starts pouring words onto a white canvas.
And yet, the noun “writer” has become instrinsically associated with the productive, monetary aspect of something that is supposed to exist as an artform, a way of communication, both with contemporaries as well as with the generations that will follow.
Let’s be clear: Books and newspapers have become central to modern civilisation, and with them scietific journals, emails and even DMs, but from here on out, I’d like to focus on creative writing.
In order to separate the career of a writer with what it actually means to be a writer, I’d like to ask you, dear Reader, what the difference between a plury-published, award winning novelist and an occasional fictional author is.
As you might have guessed, apart from the fame (and the dough), there is nothing dividing the two. The reasons that drive them to write are the same, and I want to shift our attention to why writing as an artform is embedded in human nature, regardless of how many people, if any, end up reading it.
So, here we finally are, posing the question that started all this: Why do we write?
First and foremost, I believe writing to be one of the best forms of therapy. Of course, there’s the actual diary entry, where you explicitly talk about your thoughts and feelings. Then there’s the poems, the creative non-fictional essays and autobiographies, where you work through inner storms. Finally, fictional writing forms such as a sci-fi short story or a fantasy novel, where you process life happenings through abstract interpretations. In general, the way our mind works different emotions into lyrics and characters is not only fascinating, but incredibly helpful. Not only can it widen our vocabulary range and communicative abilities, but it can truly aid us in understanding ourselves and our world better. All in all, releasing our feelings through a story, or seeing what surrounds us through a different lens, can make us kinder, more empathetic and better functioning human beings.
Secondly, there is of course the desire to be remembered, lying within us all. Life moves fast, and we want something that sticks, something that remains after we are gone, to tell our successors: I was here!! This also leads to the chase of a huge following, a wide fanbase. If many read our books, and if those books get a cinematic adaption, then we have more of a chance of not being forgotten, we can find a sense in it all. But let’s not get too existencial just now: permanence can be found even if noone ever reads what we type into our laptop at three in the morning, with our cat laying on half the keyboard and our tea running cold. Writing out a tale from beginning to end gives it a concrete shape and form, which we can only vaguely fathom if it stays inside our cranium. So, whether it be for others to read, ourselves, or noone at all: a writer usually writes, partially, because they want their writing to be, now and in the distant, distant future.
Of course, another driving force might just be external and/or internal validation. The satisfaction that comes from producing something original, authentic to our true selves. The attention, the book award, the name in the credits of a blockbuster- these may all very well be what makes a person sit down every day to finish that manuscript. Not the fame that will follow, but the name in lights in Times Square, here and now. (That, or the rent.) Yet extrinsic reasons are just as valid as intrinsic ones. You don’t need a really deep motivation behind the book you are writing. You might just want to let your sister read the story you’ve been dreaming about for the past few months, or get academic validation from an English professor’s compliment. Or maybe you’ve always wanted to be the next Jane Austen, Sappho, Lewis, [insert your favourite author here]. Any of these wishes are more than enough to justify artistic pursuits.
And to those who feel any type of pressure to succeed, to achieve the impossible, I have but one request: Let your mind rest. Truly, this goes for any artist out there. Mental relaxation is key. Take a walk, hug a tree, stare at a flower. Don’t think about creating for as long as it takes for you to want to do it again.
And on that note, I’d like to end this essay on a lighter subject: escapism. When we write, especially when we make up stories, lyrics, even melodies if we want to incorporate songwriting into this category, we take our mind off of other things. We give it the rest it needs, an outlet, and an enjoyable break. Sometimes we need to just touch grass and not do anything, but the mind needs creative phases, too.
I do realise this ties in with the psychological benefits mentioned in the beginning, but if I was focussing on elaborating our feelings before, now I want to highlight the importance of reverie, of creating your own entertainment, of playing around with the characters and places in your head. Writing is, at the end of the day, a hobby, a passion. If you’re lucky enough to make your hobby your career, that’s lovely, but for most it is just a pass time, and maybe that’s for the best. Having one of your biggest loves be your main sorce of income puts an incredible amount of pressure on your art, and deviates from the point I’m trying to make: We write because it’s fun. Because our brains need time to reset from existencial dread and daily routines and worries, an outlet, a break from the real world.
And maybe I shouldn’t be reading so much into it. Humans create paintings, sculptures, dances, music, and writing the way bees hum and birds sing. We can perfect our craft, we can find friends through our shared passions, we can become rich, famous and live forever- yet writing is, like any form of art, simply a way of existing. It’s not supposed to be good, or bad, or lucrative. It’s just supposed to make you feel.
Very simply, it’s supposed to be.
Aaand that concludes my second blog post. I hope you enjoyed it, I had a lot of fun making it! Stay amazing, and have an amazing rest of your day.
Yours truly,
Alexandra Doe 