"Why Writers Write"

Howdy Folks,

We write to tell stories, record our thoughts, plan for things, record history – the earliest known writings were scratches and drawings on cave walls and ceilings. Were they recording their history, telling stories, planning for future adventures? These drawings were often colorful. Today we use words to tell our stories and words can be colorful too.

Long before man learned to draw on walls of caves, and much later create languages in writing there were story tellers, some were called seers, some shaman, some wizards and oracles. Many ancient civilizations had only the story tellers to record their history, beliefs and adventures, these men and women were highly respected, held close by the leaders and rulers, loved and feared by all within the civilization. They told of, and held in their words, the very lifeblood of all these civilizations had become and aspire to become. They were also treasured as entertainment for the stories they could tell inspired great fun and escapades. They could hold their audiences, whether it be chiefs, kings and queens or peasants on the muddy street, spell bound, in their power, while their stories unfolded. Their words were power.

Today, if we choose to write, there exists a great wide and varied need and opportunity to write, from scriptwriters for TV & movies to stories in magazines to ads for commercials and print. All writing can, and should, paint a picture with words, thoughtful, colorful, engaging and exciting. It is both the writer's joy and duty to hold their audience engaged, and slip them into another person's shoes, thoughts and adventure. All the writer needs is to think deep, see it in their mind, and the story will flow.

When we write a story, or read a story it gives us a chance to slip into another person's shoes, their lives, adventures, loves and struggles. We can become someone else; we can travel to far away mountains, cities, lands and times. We can take our readers, and ourselves to places we've been, to record the adventure or we can imagine an adventure so fantastic we can only experience it in our written word, but we can paint it gloriously with our words and thoughts.

That's why writers write. 

Gitty Up, Dutch Henry