Why I write

I've been asked why I write a few times in the past few weeks, ever since it has come to people's attention that I have been posting on my blog regularly of late. It took me aback a little because I had never stopped to consider that question. "I write because I want to" would be my instinctive answer, but it wouldn't make much sense because the fundamental question would still remain unanswered -- What makes me want to write?

I really didn't know. I've never actually thought about why I like to write, why I want to write; I just do the actual writing -- it's very visceral. I sometimes have to push myself to write, but that's just to overcome my innate laziness to do anything at all. I was also surprised that I didn't know and hadn't ever examined my motives behind writing.

So I sat and thought about it. Several cups of coffee later, this is what I had:

I write because I've always loved reading, ever since I can remember; and I want to give that pleasure to others, or at least try. When I write, sometimes I feel that I'm part of something bigger; the endless flow of words and thoughts that makes humans separate from all other life on earth. When I write funny things (or things that I intend to be funny) I may not be as good as Wodehouse, but if I get a smile from at least one person, that's great. My writing, floating around on the internet, made someone's face light up for a moment; how amazing is that?

My mother read a post of mine last week. She said, "This feels like you want to say something and point out about stuff". I told her that was the whole idea. I do write to make a point, to express my opinion on things. To me it's not enough to discuss some things among friends or at a social gathering. Those words are fleeting, ephemeral; they usually have no impact beyond "I guess that's true" and a change of topic. Expressing my opinions in writing gives me a chance to craft my thoughts into some semblance of order, and gets people to pay a bit more attention than when they're checking their Whatsapp during conversations. A reader may not get to the end of everything I write, but when they do, they will have absorbed what I had to say, processed it, and formed an opinion -- whether to agree or disagree with me, but that's another story. The important thing is, reading requires more attention and focus than a random conversation. "Words are wind" most of the time; writing has more permanence.

I write because I have a lot to say sometimes, a story I want to tell; and I don't want to keep that to myself, or within the circle of my immediate friends and acquaintances. I want what I say to have a wider reach. I want my thoughts to touch the minds of those who don't love everything I say by default, even though they do disagree sometimes. I want unbiased readers who don't know me, so they can express their opinions about my writing without fear of hurting my feelings. I want my stories to take wing, and reach far-off places where I've never set foot. I write because it is therapeutic sometimes to pen down my angst or sorrow in a cathartic flow of writing. It might be utterly ridiculous when I read it later, which is why most of those don't end up out on my blog (or anywhere else except in my notebook); unless it's so ridiculous that it's really funny. The fact remains, however, that writing helps me put my feelings in perspective and make sense of things.

In the end, I write because I want to. 

The reason behind the want may be different every time, and I may or may not choose to make it public. But the want, the urge, remains the same; and that is what makes me write, in the end.