We Write Because...

There are so many fine quotes attributed to Maya Angelou. The one above can easily be about the reason we write. Have you ever given serious thought to why you write?

One of the main reasons is that a writer is a person who has something to say. Being able to put our thoughts down in words that others will read is a gift. At least, I think that it is a gift but there are some who would dispute that. I've read more than once that, given the right tools, anyone can learn to write.

I suppose that has some truth to it but I have a feeling that the people who become writers via the giving of tools and instruction don't necessarily write from the heart. They don't always find a voice that is unique to them. There may not be passion in their writing. Will their readers feel the emotion?

Perhaps it is those gifted writers who bring us the fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry that entertains so very many readers. These people write because they care; sometimes they write because they are driven to by some inner feeling or need. I remember reading a quote by an author whose name I cannot remember right now, but the quote was "I just can't not write!" Not grammatically perfect but the idea comes through loud and clear. These 'gifted' writers have a way with words that others do not. If you're one of them, be proud and keep on writing to share with others.

Even when a writer has a gift for writing, he/she cannot ignore acquiring those tools and instruction. They're important for all writers and will help refine whatever gift for writing he/she might have. It's kind of like that old argument as to what makes us who we are--genetics or environment. It's some of both and so it is with we who write.

And like the bird in the quote, we may not have all the answers in what we write but we write because we can.