Why do you write? Many of you who read this blog probably also write your own. When someone asks you why, what do you say? If you don’t have an answer, you’d probably be better off wasting your time doing something else.
I blog for a couple of different reasons. One is to become a better writer. Like in many other areas, the only way to improve your writing skills is to write. Ann Lamott says most people are in love with the idea of writing, but not the actual act of writing.
Another reason I blog is to help myself sort through things. Anytime we articulate our arguments and thoughts, their weak spots will be exposed to us. We are less apt to make blanket statements that contain half-truths if we know they will be “in print” where others can read them next week and a year from now. So I write in part to clarify things in my mind, and to give others points to think about and debate. (Of course, nothing substitutes for good face-to-face discussion over a cup of strong black coffee at Rembrant’s or a pint of Guinness at McCreary’s.)
I’m currently reading through Stephen King’s “On Writing – A Memoir of the Craft”, and this paragraph made me stop and think:
You can approach the act of writing with nervousness, excitement, hopefulness, or even despair – the sense that you can never completely put on the page what’s in your mind and heart. You can come to the act with your fists clenched and your eyes narrowed, ready to kick ass and take down names. You can come to it because you want a girl to marry you or because you want to change the world. Come to it any way but lightly. Let me say it again: you must not come lightly to the blank page.
I’m not asking you to come reverently or unquestioningly; I’m not asking you to be politically correct or cast aside your sense of humor (please God you have one). This isn’t a popularity contest, it’s not the moral Olympics, and it’s not church. But it’s writing, damn it, not washing the car or putting on eyeliner. If you can take it seriously, we can do business. If you can’t, or won’t, it’s time for you to close the book and do something else.
Wash the car, maybe.
Good question, Why do I write, blog?
I am just a dumb old southern boy. I prefer to keep things simple. I agree that writing helps me sort things in my mind. Sometimes I proof what I have written mainly to see if I have misused a word that the spell checker will not find. Sometimes it is just mainly the challenge to see if I can communicate a thought clearly. This does not imply that I have clear thoughts! But I do like the voices and I listen to them daily. I also seem to write as a way of winding down at the end of a long night at work. Kind of my own little way of shutting the system down and going to sleep.
Stephen
Thanks for the insightful post. My reasons for writing are widely varied and, at least in my blog, change from post to post. Sometimes it is to share information that I have found useful and perceive that it may be useful to someone else. Sometimes it is to express myself. I often express myself better in written word than I do in spoken phrases. It allows me to, like you, gather my thoughts in an orderly fashion. I am reminded of a time when I was asked to give my testimony at a New Year’s Eve church service. I basically read aloud what I had written in preparation for the service (and in doing so broke every rule I had ever learned with respect to public speaking). But I simply didn’t feel like I could communicate what I wanted to say that night with an outline or cue cards. I wanted the words and the thoughts behind them to be expressed clearly and in the way that I originally conceived them, not a vague representation.
At other times writing is an outlet for my emotions–I can release strong feelings that I have about something, feelings of elation, anger, sadness, disagreement, etc.
Writing also allows me to vent my creativity. I greatly enjoy developing a thought or thoughts into a written expression, particularly expression that will spark discussion or possibly revelation for others.
In your excerpt, Stephen King said that we should come to writing every way but lightly. I agree. We have a resonsibility to ourselves, our minds, to take our writing seriously. Writing is a journey into the depths of our thought, an extraction of ideas travelling around in our heads.
Thanks again for prompting us to think through our motives for writing.
When was that New Year’s Eve service, three years ago? I can still remember a couple of the illustrations you used and some of what you talked about. So, by taking time to sit down and think about what you wanted to say and writing it out to be sure thoughts were complete, etc., you were able to present a memorable talk.
I went to a bible study last week where there was a substitute teacher. He started out the lesson by bragging for five minutes about how he had not had time to prepare. To him that meant that if you got something out of what he said it was God “speaking into your life” (a phrase I dislike). To me it meant that he didn’t really care at all about being there and didn’t mind wasting other peoples time. He also spent quite a bit of time talking about how he doesn’t read many books because he feels compelled to respond to what he reads, and since he doesn’t, he tries not to read much.
I should waste my time listening to someone like that why?
Most of the time I write for myself. I blog, when I do, for myself. It’s a fabulous release. Sometimes I don’t even know why I’m feeling what I am until I write it out. Writing, coupled w/ my music, keeps my somewhat sane. I agree w/ you on the substitute teacher though. A part of maturing is learning to prioritize your time and responsibilities. He, as a speaker, should take his position seriously. If we don’t use every oportunity God gives us, what do we have to show for our life? That is something I’ve been challenged w/ lately. God is concerned w/ all aspects of our lives, even the things that might seem trivial. In answer to your question, there is no reason to waste our time.
I agree about the substitute teacher. If he isn’t going to take the time to prepare, why should I take the time to listen? That seems like a God in the box type of theology. He was too busy with his life to have the self discipline to alot the time to prepare. So then he shows up. Poof, God is going to get out of the box he keeps him in and impart some divine inspiration?
Maybe he just has a large ego and thinks he has some superior ability to inspire and edify off the top of his head. The people he is leading in the group are lucky to get the opportunity to receive his special wisdom and insight? Was he trying to be clever or just trick everyone?
Did you stay the whole time or did you leave early?
There is one more reason I blog, in addition to those nicely presented above, that I wonder if others share.
I blog for my friends.
In a perfect world I might be able to share my thoughts with them every night over coffee at Rembrant’s or appatizers at Applebee’s, but a perfect world this is not. So I share through my blog, conquering distance and time through the power of the internet. It is a less than perfect substitute to be sure, but every little bit helps in this fast moving world. Does anybody else blog for this reason?
Absolutely. One of the reasons I started my new blog after I moved to Nashville was because I wanted to continue the stimulating conversations that I’ve had with friends in Chattanooga. I appreciate the viewpoints that different friends bring to the table and wanted to continue thinking out loud with them.