Reasons for Writing

Since ancient times, the art of writing has served several important functions. It allowed people to keep an account of their life and times. Writing also helped civilizations to keep track of their money, rations and other elements necessary for their day to day functioning.

Judging by the number of books, newspapers, journals, magazines, and the enormous amount of written material on the net, it is safe to say that the written word is still pretty popular. Keyboards and computer screens may have replaced pen and paper in some cases, but the writing goes on. So, what are the reasons which make people write? This article seeks to examine a few (in no particular order).

Writing to share knowledge: How do you get most of your information? Books? Newspapers?  Journals? The internet? There’s a good chance that these resources rank high up in your list of ‘sources of information’. These sources employ extensive use of writing. Many people wishing to share their information, write books, columns or articles on the net, or create blogs. From textbooks to Wikipedia, the written word is everywhere.

Writing as a hobby: For many people writing is more of a hobby. They enjoy creating prose, poetry, articles and a host of other varieties of writing. Many of them get their work published in print or electronic media and display their work to a wide audience, while others are content to just write and perhaps share their work with family and friends.

Writing to earn: Earning by writing is not new. Journalists, newspaper and magazine columnists, authors and poets have been doing it for years. In recent times, the internet has also provided a viable avenue to earn from one’s writing. Article writing sites, blogs and e-books provide writers quite a few opportunities to earn in the internet.

Writing to express one’s creativity: Many people write to express their creativity. Whether it is short stories or poetry or novels, etc, expressing one’s creativity through words is a pretty popular activity.

Writing to express opinions: Writing allows people to express their opinions. Newspapers often have interesting opinion pieces including editorials and columns. Apart from that, blogs and article writing sites also allow writers to express their opinions.

Writing as therapy: For many, writing can often be therapeutic. Venting pent up emotions or expressing one’s feelings, thoughts, views or opinions by writing them down can be a carthartic experience for many.

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