Tuesday's Inspiration - Why Do You Write #MFRWauthor #amwriting

I wrote this in 2010 and the bit remains as current today as it did then.

\While reading John Gardner he said something interesting. If writing novels was declared illegal, would you quit? I know  though it didn't write for a time, I won't quit. I'm no fiction star. No best-sellers and no big awards but I love putting words on paper and toying with fictional lives.  I believe what he was getting at is why do you write. Is it for fame, money, or are you driven by something you can't explain.

I've written about how I decided to quit and for nearly six months I didn't write but that didn't keep the stories from circling in my head. Reading this made me think about so many friends who have written and who stopped. They weren't writing because they loved words and putting them together. One stopped writing because she received a nasty review. Another quit because she received no takers from editors. I returned because my life felt empty because the characters were missing from my head.

For me writing is a compulsion. I need to know the people in my head and see them on paper. My husband, the psychiatrist, says I have an obsession he has no intention of curing. i wouldn't want him to try and I'd fight tooth and nail to continue writing.

What about you? What is your reason for writing? Would you quit if your stories weren't bought? Would you quit if reviewers trashed your books? Would you quit if writing novels was declared illegal?