The National Writing Project (
NWP) celebrated why writers write for the
National Day on Writing on October 20, 2011 by collecting essays from all different types of writers: fiction writers, scientists, memoirists, journalists, teachers, students, business writers, and more.
I subscribed to NWP’s RSS feed, and for several weeks new essays about writing were delivered to my Google reader. Learning about other people’s love for writing, hearing why they love it and why they continue to do it has inspired me and my own writing. Although the official National Day of Writing has passed,
these essays are still available, and I hope they can inspire you and your writing, too.
In addition to submitting essays on why they write, writers participated in this event in the following ways:
• submitting and/or reading student essays on writing at
figment.com • listening to interviews with reporters at the
New York Times Learning Network• tweeting with
#whyiwrite• posting reasons why they write on
facebook•
…and more.
As the NWP website says, “Writing has been fundamental to human civilization since the first hieroglyphs, and it becomes more important everyday in our world that streams with emails, text messages, tweets, and blog posts. We are all writers, yet the why of writing is a topic of continual exploration.”
So let’s continue this dialogue and exploration on writing!
I write because it’s the best way to organize my thoughts and feelings. I write to explore different characters and situations. I write as a form of mediation. I write with expectations of connecting with other human beings. I write because I love writing.
WHY do you write?
Today is the third annual celebration of National Day on Writing. To celebrate, the National Writing Project is hosting the “Why I Write” project.
Follow this link to learn more about all the activities. Writers and readers can participate by submitting essays on Figment.com, watching The New York Times learning center interviews, or reading blog posts at the Edutopia community.
Here’s more from the release: “The ‘Why I Write’ project aims to create a national discussion about the importance of writing by collecting essays from people, interviewing authors, collecting student essays and spreading the word throughout the country as one way to celebrate the National Day on Writing this week. On the National Day on Writing, people will tweet why they write with the hashtag #whyiwrite—with the goal of creating a trending topic on Twitter—and also post their musings about why they write on Facebook.”
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In honor of National Music in Schools Week, I'm supposed to be rhapsodizing about the power of music in our lives. Given that I met my husband in my church choir, given that my husband's fondest dream would be to produce first-chair trumpet-playing heirs, I was feeling quite enthusiastic about this topic until I sat down to write and my three-year-old began singing "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" in full voice.
Give my kids (most kids) a song, and they will sing it -- over and over and over again. My daughter came home from school the other day, excited about a coin-sorting ditty set to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." Sadly, I have to say I that we all found this to be an improvement over full score of "Annie," which we've enjoyed in an endless feedback loop since I took her to see her first musical two months ago. In desperation, my husband tried introducting her to "Guys and Dolls," which has resulted in many questions such as, "Mommy, is it illegal to play craps in the United States?" Ah, teachable moments.
Kate is also fond of making up her own lyrics. Here's a gem from last week:
"I am cleaning up, cleaning up... Why do Patrick and I have to do all the work around here?"
She told me the other day, "I wish I could write down the notes to "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" on a piece of paper." Unfortunately, she has yet to learn to read music, let alone write it. And I realized, as I was explaining to her why we had to wait for her daddy to get home and help her, that precious few of us -- even those who do read music -- know how to scribble out a few bars.
I was reminded of those bumper stickers that say, "If you can read this [musical score], thank a music teacher." While most of us have great appreciation for music, our literacy is often sadly lacking. My daughter baked brownies yesterday and then sat down to draw a picture and write a story about the experience. Unfortunately, she couldn't (physically) write a song if she wanted to. It is my determination (and hers) that someday she will have the skills she needs to write anything she wants!
When I ask my college students whether anyone writes in his/her spare time, typically I hear disgruntled murmurs. But when I ask whether anyone writes music, I always have at least two or three enthusiastic respondents. Lyrics = poetry, and one of the most refined and difficult forms, at that. Someday soon, I will try a songwriting exercise, which I think will be a great hit.
Check out this
post and terrific exercises from the National Writing Project. (And please support the NWP, which is facing a dire financial crisis.)
The tune of the moment is now, "If You're Happy and You Know It." Wishing everyone a happy Monday and a terrific week! -- Jeanne Marrie
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I write because I must. I can't imagine what I would do if I COULDN'T write. And I truly cannot remember what I did with my time, BEFORE I wrote....and I only began writing about 10 years ago!
I write for much the same reasons you do. It gives me a voice I'd otherwise never find or have the courage to find.
Anne--
It's great to hear a shout-out to the NWP. I've been a TC for my local site for 10 years.
I write to vent. I write to entertain. I write to figure things out. I write to heal. I write to please an audience.
I write to build bridges and to dig ditches. To create connections and to create deeper understanding.
I write because I don't know how to do anything else. I have been writing since I was 5 years old. It defines me as a person. I am the only writer in my family. If I could not write, I would go crazy. Writing calms me.
Nice project. Interesting post. Thanks. ))
Playing with words! This has always been a past-time for me.
I write because it's the best way for me to express myself. I am a shy person and most of the time I am quiet and aloof. Through writing, I can best describe my feelings and thoughts - from the most casual to the most sensitive.
Above all, I write because it is a passion I can never live without.