Why writers write.

When I read author Felicia Sullivan's post yesterday, it moved me.

Here is the link.

She is an incredible writer and I cannot wait to read her critically acclaimed memoir.

We met last year. Felicia was visiting Italy and our friend Kara suggested we meet.

The following really jumped out at me;

Somerset Maugham once said, “The only thing which makes it possible to regard this world we live in without disgust is the beauty that men create out of chaos. The pictures they paint, the music they compose, the books they write, and the lives they lead. Of all of these the richest in beauty is the beautiful life. That is the perfect work of art.”


So, this is our work, fellow writers, and the start of our very auspicious journey: to mine for beauty within ourselves and in the world in which we live, to bring this beauty out of dark and into the light. To find our voice and speak it, shout it from moving cars, fire escapes, and rooftops. To find our story and share it, because words have this magnetic ability to bind us to one another, because regardless of where we live, the color of our skin, or how many zeros are in our checking account, every human being profoundly understands hurt, loss, joy, and love. And our words are connectors – they’re able to unite, even when it feels like everything else is falling apart.


Because being a writer isn’t about fancy book parties, handsome hardcovers sitting prominent on bookstore shelves, or the accolades of our peers – don’t get me wrong, these are all very nice things, but they’re merely things; a published book is an ornament, not a checkmark of achievement or a validation of your character. They don’t make us a man, nor a woman, and more importantly, and they don’t make us a committed writer. A writer isn’t someone who publishes a book; a writer is someone who writes, constantly, obsessively, and passionately. A writer seeks to communicate without interruption, bound on a constant, tireless search for truth – he or she looks deep within him or herself, then peers out into the world and tries to make sense of and between the two. In short, the journey of an artist is to show the reader where you are and where you’re going.

What I'm working on is entertainment. But even within my (hopefully) commercial wedding movie I had something to say. Movies are different from novels. They have to be exterior not interior and it's a director's medium. My script is a blue print for the house.

There are days I struggle with the whole "am I really a writer" thing. I know it's because I have yet to make a living from it. Reading Felicia's post was very helpful. I'm a writer because I have to write. There's something compelling me to create my characters and their worlds.

So why do you write?