When articles go viral, often times people are immediately accused of writing it for attention. Using whatever platform they have to be noticed or to be heard. I guarantee when you scroll through the comments, you'll find it. You'll find one comment that calls the author incompetent, narcissistic, etc.
And then there are times where we announce we want to pursue careers in writing. On top of being attention-seekers, we're lazy, unambitious.
So, instead of waiting for you to accuse us of anything else. I asked 22 writers why they write and here's what they had to say!
2. "I write to let people know what’s really going on in my head because otherwise, I’m too quiet." - Female, 23
3. "Well, it's not a for sure pay-the-bills kind of income so I guess I must really enjoy it." - Male, 25
4. "I have always struggled with speaking and conveying what my feelings and thoughts are verbally due to my symptoms from dyslexia. I write because it offers a platform that allows me to coherently convey what I want to say verbally but on paper." -Female, 20
5. "I want to grow as a person spiritually, intellectually, and in many other ways. I think writing is a very effective means to grow." - Male, 19
7. "I feel like I'm called to be a storyteller. Since the beginning of time, humans have connected through stories, the Bible being the biggest and greatest story of all time! History itself is a big story that affects us all. We all connect through other people, other worlds, and other life circumstances. So I love to write stories. That's why I chose to write anything these days. I love it!" - Female, 26
8. "So that I don't forget anything." - Male, 23
9. "I write because I'm an internal processor and it helps me to get my words out when it's not always easy to verbally process my thoughts. I also like being able to go back and see how I've grown." - Female, 26
10. "I think plenty of young guys tend to think reading and writing are not masculine skill sets, so I'm kinda pushing against that." - Male, 19
11. "I like reading stories, but sometimes I think I can write something a little better." -Female, 19
12. "To be honest, I've never been good at writing in general, but I write to perfect my skills. It's a very beneficial skill to have." - Male, 19
13. "Because on bad days, I have to live vicariously through other people. Even if they're my own fictional characters." - Male, 28
15. "Writing takes the pressure off. I write because i have trouble getting my feelings and words out when speaking to people. But writing helps me focus on saying what I mean and saying it beautifully." - Female, 22
17. "I didn't know that writing had such a strong community until I started doing it myself. I started because I enjoyed it, but I've continued because it helped me find my people. My people who encouraged me to keep going." - Female, 23
18. "I'm never bored of it. Even though writer's block is the most frustrating thing known to man, it's a problem I get to solve." - Male, 29
20. "I don't think anyone understands how much healing can be done through writing. I think the first thing I wrote voluntarily was a tribute to my grandma when she passed some years ago and it wasn't easy, but writing it took me on a journey." - Female, 27
21. "Here's the thing, English class stunted my love for writing for awhile. I hated grammar and stuff. But when I realized that as an author I could have my own style, I learned more about myself in my writing that I ever did doing anything else." - Male, 23
22. "A lot of people write about a lot of different things. I write to speak kindness into the world of writing that's not always there." - Female, 21
And funny enough, none of these answers said that I need attention or I'm too lazy to do anything else with my life.
