I have been asking myself this question on and off for some time now. On the surface it appears to be quite a simple question with simple answers perhaps including ….I want to make money, I want to be famous, I want to be popular, I want to change the world and many others answers of a similar ilk. But here’s the rub, I don’t particularly like people and I am seldom affected by their opinions of me, the world (and I mean humankind here) is not going to be changed by a grumpy and rotund caveman scribing a few ill thought out musings upon t’internet, I know damn well that I will never make money from this malarkey and I definitely do not wish to be famous as I’d rather pass through the streets unnoticed and unhindered (I am also of the opinion that folk who actively seek out fame are probably a tad unhinged).
So this leaves me pondering as why is it that I keep returning to these pages and scribing my thoughts to a distinctly small audience (ahh do I secretly wish for greater acceptance and a huge following?). If it is not for fame, fortune and world domination then why the hell do I write? Perhaps there is a part within me that wishes to connect with others but also wishes to be able to keep them at arms length, maybe there is a inner child that wants to be rewarded and told he’s “a good boy”, maybe I secretly dream of earning wealth beyond measure from the deft strokes of my electronic quill or perhaps there are so many facets to a persons mind that no one answer will be completely satisfactory.
When all is said and done I do achieve a certain pleasure writing, I find the act of it enjoyable (well mostly) and usually relaxing. Putting my random thoughts down on electronic papyrus helps to clear and focus a mind that is usually a swirling maelstrom of thoughts and ideas that sometimes stop all my inertia by overloading my brain (yes both cells). I know that my diction is limited and that I will never write a world renowned blog but that is not the point. If my simple words reach and help one troubled soul in this ever demanding and maddening world bringing to them a smile and a moment of peace then hey it’s a win. Writing does bring me a little peace and readings t’others thoughts does the same, even (though rarely) cracking my miserable countenance with the barest resemblance of a smile.
So the answer to the question is simple after all, it just simply helps.
John
Just a thought, perhaps it would be nice for t’other folks who blog to share their thoughts on why they write?
ReplyDeleteI write just because I like writing. Simple.
ReplyDeleteWhich is the only reason you should need m’dear
DeleteJohn, I write because this point I cannot do anything else. Like you, I at some point had grandiose ideas (many years ago) but they never materialized (big surprise there). What I have found instead is that writing helps me organize my thoughts and express them into the world in a way that the real me would struggle with (I have often theorized that myself as TB is far more "me" that the real world me).
ReplyDeleteIt has also allowed me to meet and interact with a great many people - many (like you) precisely the sort of people I enjoy but do not find that often where I am. I have learned a great deal from the blogs of others - not just how to do things or bits of knowledge, but internal and personal things as well. And certainly in them sharing their struggles and I sharing mine, we end up with a sort of online support group that we might not have otherwise.
Is it ephemeral, this writing of electrons? It is - but I have made peace with the fact that of all the books written in the world, we have so few of them. In that sense my writing or yours is no less different or valuable that the writings of the Ancient Greeks and Romans of which we have titles but little else: they helped people in their own time, which is all we are likely asked to do.