A Simple Answer

Annie Proulx delivered the keynote address at the annual conference of writing programs, AWP. Her topic, Why Do We Write?

She acknowledges that the spectrum of writers has increased since the internet reared its head. There have always been journal keepers, memoirists, and those who wrote rhyming poems for important events. Now a proliferation of bloggers spew out words.

Proulx talks about the ebook—many by folks who want to publish a book. "Today it is a sad fact of life that the number of writers violently explodes with self-published books..."

I stopped reading her speech, not because I didn't like what I read. I wanted to answer the question on my own terms.

It's impossible to answer for anyone else. Certainly there are writers who say they are compelled to write, others who view writing as a sacred journey—ad infinitum.

But why do I write? Years ago I nursed a desire to write a novel, but then decided to stay with short stories. With the introduction of the lyric essay, six-word stories, and the short-short story—I found a tempo and a place of comfort.

I respect the writers of fiction, but I don't want to add to the ever-growing list of people who spew out novels that are dreadful. With self-publishing anyone with a few dollars can declare themselves a writer.

I write, as one author said—to find out what I'm thinking. Plain and simple.