Why Do I Write?

At a recent cocktail party, a friend’s boyfriend commented that he had seen my blog post that week.  (It always weirds me out a little when I find out that there are people who actually read my blog –isn’t that some sort of invasion of privacy?)  He also asked me an interesting question – What am I trying to do with my blog?  What’s the endgame?

Even though I may be a blogger (although I think I’m writing articles and not blog posts?), I’m not very tech-savvy or blog-literate.  People have asked if I am trying to put ads up on my blog, but I wouldn’t even know where to start to do something like that.  (I can’t even tell you how to “follow” me!)  And I’m not sure I really want advertisers or sponsors – Mostly because I don’t want my honestly compromised or have some company tell me to start hyping their product and stop calling Ryan Hall an asshole.

So, why exactly do I write?  At times (especially at fake “deadlines”), I have wondered the same thing.  So, I thought I’d try to get some inspiration and reasoning for all this time wasting by polling two of the best writers I know.

My question was simple – “Why do you write?”  But as you can imagine any kind of writer can’t sum up a decent answer to that question in less than a paragraph.

My friend Mary, who has a ridiculously beautiful food blog that makes me feel like my blog was created as a kindergarten craft project in comparison, generously served up the following response.

And why do I write??  Holy cow, that's a hard question.  I guess I like to write because I like to create things.  That's actually why I like to cook too.  You just take a bunch of ingredients (or words, as the case may be) and do your best to assemble them into something meaningful (or tasty).  Even when the recipe is a complete fail, or the paragraph you've written is so God-awful you’d rather light your laptop on fire than post it to your blog, the whole creation process is fulfilling.  Rewarding, even.  For me, writing is MUCH harder than cooking.  I trust my sense of taste much more than my writing skills, but that's what makes me like writing even more.  I love the challenge.

The identity of the other writer I interviewed may be reason enough why I have continuously posted an article, week-after-week, for over a year now.  Far more popular than I will ever be, my mother actually gets paid to write a weekly column for my hometown’s newspaper.  A former English teacher and a lifelong reader, her response didn’t surprise me.

I think people who write do so because they can't help themselves.  They have a message they feel compelled to convey to others.  To write well is hard work but these poor suckers sit in front of the keyboard struggling week after week to capture and express their thoughts.

Most writers are not in it for the money or the recognition, both of which are scarce, but for the sometimes tortuous process of reaching somebody, anybody, who might happen to pause and become a reader.

So why do I write?

Well, the boring answer is that I feel like it is good exercise for my mind.  Blogging is like my pretend job that allows me to stretch my creative brain muscles in ways that they are not often challenged during my ordinary workday. 

The easy answer is that I love (obsessed may be more accurate) running, and I enjoy sharing my passion with others.

But the real reason why I posted my first article 15 months ago is perhaps too complicated for me to even understand.  I got in to running on almost a fluke – I never had any intentions of running a  marathon (or even a half) before I decided to take the 2012 Thunder Road Marathon up on their BOGO (Buy One, Get One) deal by purchasing the full marathon registration instead of the half. (They were basically the same price.  Full Marathon = twice the distance, twice the Gatorade, and an energy bar as a bonus.  Anyone running just the half would be crazy.)  And I shocked myself with the progress my body was able to make in just a few months.  I like to say that training creates miracles, but I also believe that every person is capable of so much more than she believes.  Perhaps some people have no idea what their hidden talents could be (have you ever tried playing the violin??), but often times self-doubt, fear of failure, and general negativity keeps up from shooting for the stars. 

So, I guess if I am writing because I have a message (cause I still don’t know why the hell I’m doing this), it would be to Go For It, whatever it is.  Because, I believe human beings are capable of amazing things if we only try (and train).

This Week’s Mileage:  17

This Week’s Beer Choice:  Samuel Adams Rebel IPA