I Write Because...

At the 2013 Pikes Peak Writers Conference, we put up a board and asked attendees to tell us why they write. Below, are some of the responses we got:

"I write because...I have to (and, because I can't make paper airplanes)."

"I write because...I am inspired by the goodness of my adult sons."

"I write because...I'd die without the release and escape it gives. Oh, and because the voices would drive me crazy if I left them in my head instead of on paper."

"I write because...I love it. It's fun to impact readers the same way I was impacted when I started reading."

"I write because...for my father."

"I write because...I can't not. :) "

"I write because...it is the only legal way that I can act out the thoughts in my head."

"I write because...it allows me the opportunity to be amongst a large crowd of people who would also be found insane if their thoughts entered the 'normal' world!"

"I write because...I love words."

"I write because...I like how I feel when I spin a good tale."

"I write because...I like writing and how it frees me to travel and meet new friends."

"I write because...I have one helluva' damn good story to tell!"

"I write because...it's more painful to not write than it is to write."

"I write because...I want to leave a legacy for my children, and it allows me to escape from them for a little while. :) "

We posted a piece by Stephen Graham Jones on why he writes this past Halloween. It's worth checking out if you didn't read it the first time!

So, tell us, why do you write?