Why do you write?

[Anatra]

@scripter-of-kingdoms

Exactly.

[Keilah H.]

Oooh! I honestly don’t know why I write most of the time. I used to dislike writing, but one day when I was eight or nine, maybe ten, my parents convinced me to write something, like, for schoolwork or therapy or something, and I sat down and wrote Tesla’s Story. It was about an electric eel called Tesla and his friend, a talking helicopter named Blade. I had pictures and everything. Some other time, I was looking through a book or a magazine and saw a picture of a yacht called the Falcon or something like that, and I remember thinking, “Oh, like the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars!” So from there came my first fanfic: a group of Star Wars characters had bought a yacht for a vacation. Neither of these stories had very much conflict, save for little subplots every so often, but then I started copying the storylines of movies I liked and replacing the characters with ones from my other fandoms (an idea which has persisted to this day). Adding new books, movies, and other things has only grown my fanfic universe, and some stories are simply a result of taking various fandom characters and throwing them together in a universe I created.

 

The one story I can think of that had a real purpose was my Rexy series, an actual publication of mine. I wrote it because I found out I was on the autism spectrum and wanted to help other people like me.

Where'd I get ya this time? The liver? The kidney? I'm runnin' outta places to put holes in ya.

[Kathleen]

@scripter-of-kingdoms

Those are wonderful reasons. Writing can be a way to glorify God and help others, while also strengthening and healing ourselves.

Have these two things always been your reason for writing, or did it become that later on?

@daisy-torres

That’s awesome! Do you and your cousin live close, or do you plan it out virtually? Also, how are you planning on writing it together? Like are you going to swap chapters or scenes or are you writing from different POVs?

I love hearing how other people write together, haha.

@anatra23

Not wanting anyone to enter your story world while writing… I can relate to that a lot, haha. In fact, one of the reasons I started writing, along with being inspired by my siblings, is that I wanted so badly to be transported into a magical world like so many characters in books.

I’d even sleep in my large closet hoping that I’d wake up in Narnia, and knock on every inch of the walls of my house to hopefully find a secret passage way. So since none of that worked my next best option was writing in fictional worlds, haha.

But like you said, it’s so nice to have this secret world with characters all to yourself. It usually takes writing the whole book to warm up to the idea of someone reading it.

[Kads]

@kathleenramm Indeed. Hmm, I think it really rather became that later on. I didn’t realize how much writing meant to me until I did it more and more. It used to just be a fun hobby and now.. it’s part of who I am, really.

staring at the fields
if nothing's really real
i'll make the winter now my home

[Trahia the Minstrel]

@elfwing

Your reasons for writing are quite similar to mine!
I write because

1. I love telling stories and I always have, even though I didn’t enjoy writing until I was about 11, when I decided to write a fanfic about a Mario game.

2. I write it express my pain and work through things that are hard for me. Because I’ve suffered grief, most of my characters have to deal with that as well. Family is another important element in my books, which I think probably stems from both the fact I’m homeschooled and the loss that made me appreciate family even more.

3. Same as you, elfwing! I get down on myself and feel like I’m unproductive or not a good person if I don’t write for a while. Writing is where I relax, despite the fact I procrastinate starting to a terrible degree.

4. God gave me gifts in writing and drawing, and I believe that He’ll use them somehow for His glory. My current mission as I see it is to bring light to genres that are normally dark, like fantasy and anime/manga.

@scripter-of-kingdoms

I totally get that! Whenever I’m super upset I normally draw a picture of a crying girl or write something sad. Then I feel a little better.

@kathleenramm

Thanks for having this as a topic! I love it!

The end of a story, a beautiful picture; a feeling of longing yet hope~
That’s my wish to create.

[Libby]

I write because I realize God’s given me a desire and a gift… and I don’t want to waste it.  I want to steward it well for his kingdom.

I write because I have been touched by the truth in powerful ways from non-fiction and fiction authors alike – Tolkien, Austen, Piper, Ferguson, Washer, MacArthur, etc.  Somehow, some way, God has used the words of faithful men and women to present the truth – his truth – in fresh, concise, convicting ways that struck deep in me, even changed my life.  I want to be faithful to use my words for the same, knowing that God in his faithfulness is able to use my wayward pen to exposit his truth.  As God has become more beautiful to me through others’ writing, so my prayer is that he would become more beautiful to others through my own.

I write because I love the challenge of crafting something beautiful, meaningful, humorous, sad, touching, etc. It’s an art, really, and I love it.

I write because I have a story to tell.  It’s mine, no one else’s exactly.  And yet it belongs to God, not to me – really, it’s mine to take care of, to share for his glory and the good of others.

I write because others need a voice, too, and I want their stories to be told.  My mom’s story, the story of the Hiroshima church, the stories of believers in hard places, the stories of the faithful who are not famous, but who have been used by God in beautiful, encouraging ways.  Honestly, my goal is to be able to write some of these stories, my mom’s in particular, and to touch people’s lives with the beauty and truth of God’s work in her life.

Elen síla lúmenn' omentielvo

[Elishavet Pidyon]

Why do I write? I’m not sure. I’ve actually pondered this many times; wondering if I need to be writing. Still, I haven’t been writing like this for long, so some things aren’t ironed out yet.

I started writing because I saw a lack of good, true (fun) books to be had. All the newer authors seemed to either be trailing off the deep end or leaving their books shallow. I was tired of looking at shelves full of darkness and skilled authors misusing their talents. So, I decided to write a story worth telling. Something wholesome but laughable too.

And once the dam broke, I had more ideas than I knew what to do with. I was always imaginative, and using my favorite authors as a foundation, I decided I had something to build. I’m always coming up with something, although recently I’ve tried to aim my imagination at my WIPs instead of just creating random character sketches(Which I do waaay too much).

Now, I want to write healing words. I want my them to be a lifeline that draws the drowning closer to the One who alone can save them. Sure, I want my characters to be deep, my story gripping, and my worlds intriguing, but it’s all to help someone, or it’s useless. Books, stories, they hold the power to heal and to kill, and oh, I want to heal. Reading the works of those who let their pen be used by God makes me want to follow in their footsteps.

Literature that laughs of life; screams defiance in the face of evil; stands in the midst of the storm; sings of hope beyond destruction. A lesson. A story. A medicine bitter at times perhaps, but healing in the end.

I don’t know how clear that was, or if I represented my motives right, but there it is.

You have listened to fears, child. Come, let me breathe on you... Are you brave again? -Aslan

[Trahia the Minstrel]

@elishavet-pidyon

Beautiful. I can totally relate to the wanting good books to read from newer/modern authors thing

The end of a story, a beautiful picture; a feeling of longing yet hope~
That’s my wish to create.

[Elishavet Pidyon]

@trahia-the-minstrel

Thank you. 🙂 (I’m afraid the inner essayist came out in that post) Yeah, I love classics, but we need more good books on the shelf than those written sixty+ years ago.

You have listened to fears, child. Come, let me breathe on you... Are you brave again? -Aslan

[Author]

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