Nearly everyone who has ever picked up a pencil, dreams of earning a living writing. Not writing any old thing either. We want to share a story, or our knowledge on a topic, using our own personal voice. (If it was just the action of writing, we’d all be technical writers, where a full time job is not only a reality, but in high demand.)
Why though? Is it the creative release? If it’s just creativity why not something else? Why not expressing our own unique style through painting? Sketches? Making blankets? What is so darn special about writing that everyone wants to not only do it, but do it all the time. Why do people want to write for a living?
For me, writing for a living is a possibility. I’m good enough at writing short stories that between contests and publications, I at one point scraped by on words alone. (Not under this name. Sorry. I got married!) When I moved here, I actually prefered to get a real job and start playing with novels.
I like the process of writing more than anything else. When the process is over, there is nothing more for me in the story. I forget it and move on. When I’m writing a short story, I can finish a short story in as little as two weeks. For me, the process is over too quickly. There’s nothing to pick at anymore, and it takes something from me.
Maybe I’ll make a living at novels, but for now I’m happy the way things are.
You’ve probably been asked why you write. Now I’m asking you. Why writing?
A.M. Kuska's Blog 
Sep 29, 2010 @ 12:42:48
I write because the words inside me wish to come out. Since words do not have a life of their own until they are heard (or read), I must clarify this statement somehow. I am a messenger.
Sep 29, 2010 @ 14:31:43
I’ve probably never understood fully. Probably never will.
Some stuff just needs to be captured (even when I’d prefer not to do it).
And some of it, having been captured, needs to be shared (even when I’d prefer not to share it).
And some of it, for whatever reason, goes in front of a broader audience than other stuff. IOW, is published.
And writing is a faith journey mostly. There’s a trusting that whatever is being written is either serving a purpose for me (helping me see things) or others (giving them a chance to feel less alone OR entertaining them). I’ve written and had some publishing success across a range of genres (business, non-fiction, personal exp, children’s, poetry, humor). I could not support myself solely by writing, so it’s not for that. I think I write because I can’t not write.