This is a guest post by one of my favorite authors, Beem Weeks. It’s part of his 4Wills Publishing blog tour.
Why Do We Write?
Welcome to Day 2 of “A TRIP DOWN THE STRANGE HWY” Blog Tour
@BeemWeeks #4WillsPub #RRBC #RWISA
Why do we write? It’s a simple enough question. The answer, well, that’s not quite as cut and dried. Every writer has his or her own reason for putting pen to paper in an effort to entertain, educate, or just let off a little steam.
I’ve been writing since about the age of eight. It’s just something I’ve always enjoyed. My motivations have changed over the years. Early on I wrote with the notion that I’d be the only one reading my work. I’d put down on paper some grand idea I’d find wandering through my head, an event from the day, or maybe a song or a poem. There has always been a need for me to create with word combinations belonging only to me.
In my teen years, for the first time, I wrote knowing that others would read my words. These writings took the form of record and concert reviews published in my high school’s newspaper. I went to a large school, with a student body of nearly 2500 members. People began to give me feedback, advice, compliments. I absorbed it all like a sponge. I felt a calling on my life; a calling to write.
To this day I am not able to make a living with this craft. And that’s fine; I didn’t take up my pen for financial gain. If (or when) it comes, that will be the clichéd icing on the proverbial cake!
I still enjoy writing. Whether it’s a novel, short stories, book reviews, or blog articles—like this one here—writing is my passion. I also find pleasure in writing communications to friends; letters that I’ll compose using pen and paper, stamp and envelope. I just don’t write every day the way I once did. Mood is my major motivating factor these days. Do I feel like writing something today? If I do, what form will it take? That’s just me, though.
Some writers must create each every day. Many even establish a daily word count. The day is a complete loss if they’ve not sprinkled a thousand words across their keyboard. It’s all selective depending on the individual.
Ann Frank needed to write. This girl’s existence consisted inside four walls of a silent room that became her family’s prison for many years. She wrote every day, detailing a life most human beings could never imagine—and yet many things all too familiar. Writing is all Ann Frank had to keep her connected to the world—as dark as her world became.
Harper Lee didn’t need to write. Oh, sure, early on she wrote short stories, essays, and articles. But then she wrote a novel called To Kill A Mockingbird and basically walked away from the craft. Her sister claimed the author knew she’d never again approach the level of success Mockingbird achieved—no matter the caliber of book number two. So why bother? And for decades, that’s all we got from this writer—until, in that final year of life, she gave us Go Set a Watchman. But even that second novel had been completed in the middle of the previous century.
J. D. Salinger, though he ceased publishing his work after the mid-1960s, continued to write, taking a few hours each and every morning, creating stories only he had opportunity to enjoy. Upon his death, it was revealed that several of Salinger’s unreleased manuscripts would be published. The man loved writing but hated the attention his work drew from across the world.
Some people have never written anything outside of personal letters to friends and family. That doesn’t make them any less a writer than those with books or short stories on their resumes.
Everybody has their own reasons for writing—regardless if they publish or not.
Why do I write? I write because I have a passion to write—just not every day.
Why do you write?
Author Bio
Beem Weeks is the author of short stories, poems, essays, and novels. A pop-culture trivia buff, Beem’s passions include indie films, loud music, and a well-told story. He has also penned short story collections entitled Slivers of Life, and Strange Hwy: Short Stories.
To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the author’s tour page on the 4WillsPublishing site. If you’d like to book your own blog tour and have your book promoted in similar grand fashion, please click HERE. Thanks for supporting this author and his work!
D.L Finn, Author said:
Great blog about why we write Beem. I can’t imagine being cut off like Ann Frank was for so many years and finally being able to write. I guess we do all write for our own reasons. Mine is I have so many stories in my head. I have to let them out somewhere. Thanks for hosting Nicholas!
LikeLiked by 7 people
kimwrtr said:
DI, I think that’s when a lot of people usually start to write. I believe Nora Roberts started writing when she was secluded and snowed in her home. I started writing when my husband was working far away from home and had taken our only way of transportation with him. I was stuck at home and bored. I didn’t have a typewriter, so I started filling up notebooks full of my life story (need to find that and destroy it, btw). 😀
LikeLiked by 6 people
Nicholas C. Rossis said:
I started writing when work became too much to handle, so I know what you mean. But destroy the notebooks?! What will future generations use to find out more about us 😀
LikeLiked by 5 people
D.L Finn, Author said:
I destroyed some of my old notebooks…now I wonder if I should have hung on to them or not. I do remember being bored with life in general and writing fixed that quickly. I’m never bored now:) i do long for that snowstorm for hours of interrupted writing though…
LikeLiked by 6 people
Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Ooh, the stories in our head reason is one of the best ones 🙂
LikeLiked by 6 people
beemweeks said:
I’m with you, Denise. I have a bunch of stories in my head. I just hope I can get most of them onto pages and into books! Thank you for stopping by.
LikeLiked by 4 people
kimwrtr said:
Hey Beem!
Like Haper Lee, Margaret Mitchell also only wrote one book because she thought she’d never be able to write another as good. But after she died, a collection of her girlhood writings and a novella she wrote as a teenager have been published. A collection of articles for The Atlanta Journal was republished in book form. I guess if you hit it that big with your first book, you feel there’s nowhere left to go but down.
I write because figure it will make me seem saner than talking to myself about the noise in my head.
Congratulations on your new release.
LikeLiked by 5 people
beemweeks said:
Good points with Margaret Mitchell, Kim. I guess I can’t really understand not wanting to write any other books because that first one was so successful. If nothing else, the money brought in by the first book would allow for those writers to write without worry over bills and going to some job to keep food on the table. But we are all different. We each have our own motivation. Thank you so much for stopping by.
LikeLiked by 6 people
Charles Yallowitz said:
Reblogged this on Legends of Windemere.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Pingback: Why Do We Write? | Legends of Windemere
pvcann said:
Great post, resonates.
LikeLiked by 5 people
Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Thanks 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
pvcann said:
my pleasure 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
beemweeks said:
Thank you for stopping by, pvcann!
LikeLiked by 2 people
rijanjks said:
I posted this question on my blog a few days ago, asking “why do we do it?” And the answers I received were as diverse as the writers. Beem is right. It all comes down to passion. If you have a burning passion to tell a story, create a world or rhyme some lines, then you are a writer and that passion is your reason. Great post! Best wishes on “Strange Hwy!” The blurb alone should sell tons of copies of the book! 🙂
LikeLiked by 6 people
Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Tank you so much, Jan 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
beemweeks said:
Thank you for always being so supportive, Jan. I am so grateful to know you are in my corner.
LikeLiked by 2 people
CP Bialois said:
Reblogged this on The BiaLog and commented:
A good read. 🙂
LikeLiked by 5 people
~Mar said:
Beem, you and I have so much in common. I, too, began at an early age, writing out these crazy short stories. The older I get, the more passion I have for writing. The more I need it and crave it. Thank you for sharing with us about why you write. I think that’s an important question to answer since writing plays such an important role in our lives.
Nicholas, thank you so much for being a great host, as always!
LikeLiked by 5 people
beemweeks said:
You are an amazing human being, Marlena. I truly appreciate all of your support. Thank you for stopping by. 😊
LikeLiked by 2 people
~Mar said:
Awww… thank you so much, Beem! The same can be said to you!!
LikeLiked by 3 people
Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Wise words, Mar. Thanks for reading 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
~Mar said:
Reblogged this on Scribblings of a Southern Belle and commented:
Hello, bloggers!
As this week’s Feature Friday post, I encourage you to visit fellow blogger and author, Nicholas Rossis. Today, he is hosting another fellow blogger and author, Beem Weeks. The post is fantastic, so give it a read! 😘
LikeLiked by 4 people
beemweeks said:
Nicholas, thank you so very much for hosting me today. I am eternally grateful for all of the kind support you’ve offered over the years. Best wishes to you.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Nicholas C. Rossis said:
The pleasure is all mine, Beem! I wish my 3-year-old boss would leave me more time for supporting 🙂
LikeLike
J. Ajlouny, Author said:
Reblogged this on J. Ajlouny, Author.
LikeLiked by 2 people
John W. Howell said:
Excellent post, Beem. You nailed the reason with the word “passion.” I think one has it or one doesn’t. I don’t think the passion for writing can be developed. Thanks, Nicholas for hosting Beem today.
LikeLiked by 5 people
beemweeks said:
I agree, John. Passion can’t be developed. As you said, we either have it or we don’t. Thank you for stopping by.
LikeLiked by 3 people
John W. Howell said:
Always a pleasure.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Thanks for visiting, John 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
John W. Howell said:
Alsways a pleasure.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Mary Adler said:
“There has always been a need for me to create with word combinations belonging only to me.” I love that sentence, Beem. Word combinations belonging only to you. We are all happy for your passion. (I don’t write every day either. I feel almost guilty admitting that.) 🙂
LikeLiked by 5 people
beemweeks said:
I often feel guilty for not writing every day as well, Mary. But time and other responsibilities prevent a daily routine for writing. Thank you for stopping by.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nicholas C. Rossis said:
That is a great line! Thank you for the visit, Mary 🙂
LikeLike
Wendy Scott said:
Writing styles are unique – find what works for you.
LikeLiked by 5 people
beemweeks said:
Well said, Wendy! Thanks for visiting.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Wise words, Wendy 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
jinlobify said:
Beem, I think I write for all of the above reasons you mentioned, but mostly because I have something to say which I must get off my chest. 😀
Thank you, Nicholas, for hosting him.
LikeLiked by 5 people
beemweeks said:
That is an excellent reason for writing, Joy! Thanks for stopping by.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Thank you for visiting, Jin 🙂
LikeLike
Don Massenzio said:
Reblogged this on Author Don Massenzio and commented:
Check out this guest post on Nicholas Rossis blog by author Beem Weeks that asks the question: Why Do We Write?
LikeLiked by 5 people
beemweeks said:
Thank you for sharing this piece, Don.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Don Massenzio said:
You’re welcome.
LikeLiked by 2 people
lauralibricz said:
I’m not writing right now. Working full time has sucked all that out of me. Does that make me any less of a writer? I hope not. I’ve been on again, off again like this all my life. Wishing you all a great weekend! Thanks for hosting, Nicholas.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Nicholas C. Rossis said:
I’m not writing right now, either, if it makes you feel any better! At least not on a daily basis… or even a weekly one, some times!
LikeLiked by 2 people
beemweeks said:
Thank you for stopping by, Laura. Being a writer isn’t about daily word counts or how often we come up with a new story. Harper Lee was always a writer, even though she scarcely wrote creatively during the last 50-plus years of her life. We write when we are able. Once a writer, always a writer.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Thanks for that, Beem! I needed to hear that 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gwen Plano said:
What a great post, Beem. I very much agree with your explanation of passion. That sentiment is evident in your writing, which is one of the reasons, I love reading your work. Congratulations on STRANGE HWY. I will soon be reading it!
LikeLiked by 5 people
beemweeks said:
Thank you for always being such a wonderful friend, Gwen. I am so glad you stopped by.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rhani D'Chae said:
Hi, Beem. I’m sorry I’m late, but I’m sure glad I stopped by. This was a very thought provoking post.
Nicholas, thank you so much for hosting.
LikeLiked by 5 people
Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Thanks for visiting, Rhani 🙂
LikeLike
beemweeks said:
You’re not late, Rhani! I appreciate your visit.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Guy Worthey said:
I’ve never introspected much on why I write, but I sure do a fair parcel! Thanks for the insight, Beem! Thanks for hosting, Nicholas!
LikeLiked by 5 people
Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Thanks for visiting and reading, Guy 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
beemweeks said:
Thank you for visiting today, Guy! Your support is truly appreciated.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Stephen Geez said:
Why do I write? Logistics. I like creating things–writing and producing music, graphic design, video production, animation, story-writing, non-fiction informational, and more. For me, writing has tended to rely on the logistics. When I don’t have the software, the equipment, the production crew, the production facilities–whatever–I an always write. Writing is that creative outlet that requires the least–the least money, least people, least equipment, least licensing, etc. You can write in the doc’s waiting room, on the picnic table at a national park, while traveling, while chillin’. Still, writing comes from having something to say. Great post, Beem, and great book. Thanks for sharing.
LikeLiked by 4 people
beemweeks said:
Having something to say! That’s a great reason to write, Stephen. Thanks for stopping by.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nicholas C. Rossis said:
I know what you mean. Writing is something you can do anywhere, anytime, on your own.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Pingback: Welcome to Day 2 of “A TRIP DOWN THE STRANGE HWY” Blog Tour — Nicholas C. Rossis | Stephen Geez Blog
Shirley Harris-Slaughter said:
My first book was s labor of a force I had no control over. A higher power was at work. I was compelled to do it and I didn’t go into it willingly. Other forces were at work that kept me writing. So here I am, a reluctant writer trying to better my craft. How about that one Beem?
LikeLiked by 5 people
beemweeks said:
That’s as good a reason to write as any, Shirley! Thanks for chiming in.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Shirley Harris-Slaughter said:
You bet! lol
LikeLiked by 3 people
Helen Borel,RN,MFA,PhD said:
WRITING IS MY OXYGEN. I write to breathe. And, I breathe to write.
I’ve been writing since age 11, probably younger. Poetry in the second orphanage I grew up in. Then, as a young Nurse, on the side, I was a Book Review Columnist for the Louisville “Courier-Journal” and other newspapers. Later, as a young Mother, I became an advertising copywriter in an Ethical Pharmaceutical Ad Agency where I honed my writing craft, skills, talents for 18 years (plus freelancing ad writing afterward). Heavy research of medical journals. Lone, long hours (often 14 hrs a day) creating advertising campaigns and collateral mailing materials and books for physicians; on topics from Amitriptyline to Zyprexa, from Aspirin to Zoloft, from Antibiotics to Soporifics, from Antipsychotics to Zolpidem, from Asthma to Zits. I wrote it all from A to Z. Not only did I cover the science and medical applications for Rx drugs AND medical/surgical equipment, my capacity to write well and diversely
(some works were heavy-scientific; others were playful in the less-serious pediatric sphere) deepened my writing abilities and rendered wordsmithing for me to be an automatic process where all flows out, in subject matter diverse and well-beyond medical writing into satire, short fiction, long-short fiction, and masterful puns. All this because I was born a writer and will never stop. I write something every day. Sometimes long stuff, sometimes outlines for emerging stuff, sometimes a joke, sometimes a poem, sometimes a diatribe, always something. Therefore, Beem’s words about writing hits home with me. My Oxygen. That’s what writing is to me.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Nicholas C. Rossis said:
Wow, what an awesome comment. Thank you, Helen, and welcome to my blog 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
beemweeks said:
Thank you for sharing this with us, Helen. You are an incredible human being. I truly appreciate your visit.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gwen Plano said:
Great post, Beem. You are an amazingly gifted writer and reading this post prompted me to order Strange Hwy. BTW, sharing Alterations on Amazon was brilliant and convincing. Bravo!!
LikeLiked by 3 people
beemweeks said:
Thank you so much for your wonderful support over the years, Gwen. I am humbly grateful to you. Your kind words truly lift me up in spirit.
LikeLiked by 1 person