19 Oct 2022

Why Do You Do It? Some Questions and Reflections about Writing

by | posted in: Hogtowne Quill, Writer's Life / Writer's Notebook | 6

fountain pen on black lined paper

For those interested—however few you may be—I’m retired. Being retired means I have time to ruminate on things good, bad, and pointless.

Just so you know, I worked as a probation officer in Miami, eleven years at that job under my belt. From that experience springs some of my stories.

But not all.

I’m also writing a Sci-Fi novel, ignoring those naysayers who insist I am wasting my time. And some other stuff, like this blog submission.

I went back to Miami recently, to a writer’s workshop, at the Miami Book Fair.

Ate some good food, made friends, and learned one simple lesson.

What’s that?

If you would be a good writer, first become a good reader.

Seems a bit backward. The purpose of writing is to get others to read─right?

Right.

But how do you know what others will read until you know what and why you read? Read what appeals to you, moves you, and stays with you. Then ask yourself, what made it work?

Was it word choice? Flow? Character? Plot? Or a combination of things?

The answer appears in varying degrees in different works but boils down to one common theme: You liked it.

Why? Answer that, and you are on the way to writing something others will read, gladly and often.

I also encountered some thought-provoking questions at that workshop. They made me think, and I’m still thinking.

person catching light bulbMaybe these questions will bring you up short, too:

  1. Why do you write? Is it ego, pride, recognition, $, getting something off your chest?
  2. Because somebody said you couldn’t?
  3. Are you wrestling with a private demon?
  4. Whom do you expect to read it? Does it matter to you if nobody does?
  5. If every copy of your work was lost tomorrow, would you start over? Why? Why not?

So, there it is.

That face in the mirror, smirking, mocking, laughing, taunting. Why do you read and why? What do you write and why?

Most people do little of either. You do know that—right?

So, what’s your reason? Why waste ink making scribbles on scrap paper? Or distributing sleeping electrons? Or reading this?

When you find out tell me.

I don’t know either.

[Editor’s note: WAG would love to see articles on any and all topics of interest to writers. Please send your ideas or finished pieces to Cynthia D. Bertelsen at BlogEditor@writersalliance.org for consideration. Remember: these posts are more than just posts, for they are actual articles and can be cited in your CV/résumé in the same way you would a short story, essay, or any other writing credit you may possess.]

Follow Michael Kite:
Kite’s “Memories of a Honeymoon and a Milk Carton” won second place in Bacopa Literary Review. The piece was based on a true story from one of his experiences as a parole officer in Miami where he served for eleven years. Retired, he is now writing a novel—"Sci-Fi, my first love,” he said. “And I dabble in poetry.” Kite’s degree is in Political Science, and when he finishes his novel, he “would like to do some serious political commentary.” He calls himself “an irascible old codger with time to ruminate. And write.”

6 Responses

  1. Art Crummer
    |

    Thanks, Mike, What do I read & write?
    The writings that give me pleasure seem to fall into these types.
    *Books written in straightforward but natural musical or poetic language.
    *Stories that immerse me in a culture that I can enjoy (e.g., Appalachian literature, country folks, personal or communal struggles, subcultures)
    *Nonfiction books of a scientific nature, clearly written
    *Stories that keep me guessing, in a fun way, or have surprising twists (metafiction, fish-out-of-water tales, 1-2-3 pattern where the 3rd is unexpected, characters I can believe who are forced to do something unexpected)
    *Essays on the writing craft.

    So I tend to write in these veins; because they are what I myself enjoy.
    Since I am happiest when I’m learning new things, I gravitate toward reading books that support my curiosity in novel ways, especially technical, poetic, experimental, musical, and pieces about the writing craft.
    Thanks for the article and thanks for asking.—Art

  2. Susie H. Baxter
    |

    Love your style, Mike. Keep it up.

  3. Connie Biddle Morrison
    |

    Your post resonated with me. I love reading historical fiction. I have read so many that I am always surprised when my book club finds a new one, but I am never disappointed. I suppose I would rather read than write except that when I write, I am in that place where time stops and reality vanishes. Thanks for sharing your insight.

  4. Andy Adkins
    |

    Like you, I’m retired. Great life, lots of memories from the Navy (4 years), my 2 1/2 years as City of Gainesville firefighter, and my career(s). I’ve learned that life is not a competition, it’s a journey. I began writing as part of my business (legal technology consultant). Then came that first book (business), then the next (military non-fiction). Why not try fiction? In short, I got the writing bug. I don’t write for the money; I don’t write for the masses. I write for me, because I enjoy it and, more important, I enjoy the challenges that comes from writing. I enjoy creating characters that become a part of me, and I enjoy creating a flowing and sometimes complicated plot. I don’t need to crank out a book every year. I just need to write.

  5. Marie Q Rogers
    |

    I write because: inside me are stories that clamor to be written. They are not merely creations on my part, they are worlds of people with a life of their own.

  6. michael Kite
    |

    Thank you all for your time and attention. I appreciate it.