Understanding our motives for writing is vital.
Whether it’s a novel, a thesis, or a set of songs, many of us have creative endeavors we are pursuing. And that begs the question: Why?
What is our motivation? Why do we write?
Why do YOU write?
This isn’t just curiosity asking. While I love to hear where you’re coming from, at the end of the day it doesn’t matter whether I completely understand.
But we should each understand ourselves and our own motives writing.
There are as many reasons to write as there are books at your local library. Everyone’s approach is slightly different, and that’s perfectly okay!
Today we’ll look at the importance of understanding our motivations, dig deeper into why we write, and examine how our motives can shape our writing goals.
Why Motives Matter
Understanding our motivation is critical because why we write will influence how we approach our craft. It changes what success looks like. It shapes what our end goals are and what strategies we should use to get there.
This makes our motivations very important.
Why we write will influence what we write, how we write, and whether or not we actually WILL write.
So take a moment. Think about it.
Why Do You Write?
Do you know why you write?
Maybe you want to share a story you think others will enjoy. Or maybe you want to make lots of money- and who doesn’t?! Perhaps you want to teach others about something you love. Maybe you want to share lessons you’ve learned or a viewpoint others may benefit from. Perhaps you want to prove to yourself or others that you can do it.
These are all perfectly legitimate.
There’s no one right reason to be writing. This isn’t a quiz, I promise! And (to make it even more confusing) sometimes our motivations are mixed or they may change over time.
Do you write simply because you enjoy it? Or maybe because you read a lame book once and decided you could do better? Is it to prove something to your coworkers, your family, or yourself? Is it because you’ve dreamed about writing since you were a kid?
Our reasons for writing will change how we approach things.
How Our Motives Shape Our Writing
Maybe you want to get a non-fiction book traditionally published to boost your professional career. Your writing and publishing process will be different than if you want to write a fanfiction story for your friends or if you want to self-publish a series of ebooks. Each publishing path has its own purposes, its own pros and cons.
And we don’t need to get sidetracked with distractions or expectations that don’t fit in with our personal writing path!
We want to keep our motives in mind when creating our writing (and life!) goals. There just isn’t enough time (unfortunately!) to do everything–we need to focus on what matters to us.
Prompt: If you haven’t done so yet, take a few minutes to jot down your thoughts on why you write so that you can look back on as needed. It doesn’t need to be anything fancy, just do what works for you.
Identifying our motives can point is in the right direction. It can also help us stay on track.
Our reasons for writing are helpful to keep in mind for when writing gets hard. Because it will get hard! And sometimes we need to be reminded of why we started in the first place.
Remember: You are enough!
Sometimes we may have motives that are rubbish, such as thinking we need to write a book in order to prove our worth or to meet certain expectations.
The truth is, our value as a person is not related to whether we’ve published a best selling novel or anything at all! You are amazing.
It’s important to remember our true value and to center ourselves on what really matters.
I write because I find truth and beauty in stories.
I write to make the world a better place.
I write so people know they aren’t alone.
I write because words are powerful.
I write because stories move me.
I write because I dream of stories and questions that haven’t been explored yet.
I write because I can and because the challenge excites me.
These are a few of the reasons why I write.
What about you? 🙂
A version of this post first appeared on the blog in 2018 and was titled Why Write? Exploring Motivation To Better Our Writing.
