I’ve stated before that when I don’t write, I become depressed.  Writers write.  It’s in their blood, and when they’re not writing, it’s unhealthy.

But that’s not the only reason I write.  There are other reasons.

I write to entertain people.

I like being on stage musicals.  I like performing in front of a crowd with a band.

I like giving someone a story that brightens their world for a little while.

Underneath it all, I want to make people happy.  I try to be polite.  I listen.  As I’ve told my son, I want to make the world a little bit better than the way I found it.  One of the ways I can do that is by making my stories as entertaining as I can.

I want to tell people something.

I have thoughts and opinions and ideas about how the world should work.  They’re not necessarily original thoughts.  I have strong feelings about personal responsibility, integrity, and freedom.  These are the driving ideas behind the fantasy story that’s taking me forever.

I have ideas that I want to put out into the world.  Stating them flatly doesn’t feel like enough.  Demonstrating them with characters in a fictional world might not be enough, but it feels like the right place to start.

Someday, I want to write for a living.

This is different than, “I’m doing it for the money.” I’m not doing it for the money.  I don’t expect to get rich from writing.  In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if I never make a dime.

I hope to sell my stories, however.

Let me put it in words that Princess Leia would understand: If money was all that I loved, then that’s what I would try to receive.

It’s not, though.  I could make a lot of money as a programmer.  The problem is that programming doesn’t satisfy my soul.  Writing does.  So I hope that someday, I’ll reach a point in my writing career that I can just depend on it.  I think that would make me very happy.

There are other reasons I write, but those are the major reasons.  If you’re like me, then it helps to check your motivations from time to time.  Without proper motivation, it’s easy to slack off and procrastinate.