Reasons to Write - Alexis' List

This morning I finished a second short story, and this afternoon I started another.  This third is going in a direction slightly contrary to what I originally expected, but what can you do? The creative muse takes a person however it will.

The more I write, the more I discover why I write.  There are a number of reasons for writing, and it seems that my reasons continue to multiply as I go.

1. I write because I like doing it.  I enjoy writing in general - the construction of sentences, the interplay of words, imagining news ways to develop an idea - it is intoxicating to me.  
2. It gives me a sense of accomplishment when I finish a piece or a blog posting.  There is a definite end to a piece, like anything that can be finished (unlike the dishes which is a never-ending kind of torment).
3. If it makes one person happy or gets someone to reconsider something in a way they hadn't previously, I feel good.  In short, I like changing the world by putting my thoughts into it.
4. Writing is a way for me to explore issues with which I have difficulty.  I am better able to process information, resolve problematic situations, and understand my own feelings on a matter when I explore it on the page.  This can be done in a blog posting, a story, or a poem.
5. I must get my creative juices out.  Without a creative outlet, I feel incomplete. I feel like I am less successful at interacting with the world, and therefore am less a part of it when I cannot create. Writing is my preferred form of expression, and therefore a necessary thing for me to do daily. 

This is a fairly comprehensive list of my reasons for writing.  It may be that I will discover additional reasons for writing (other than the obvious drive for fame and fortune) as I continue to explore the medium.  I hope so.  I feel I am in a process of discovery, exploring my muse, my psyche, and the world with my words.