Why Do You Write?
How Revisiting Your Why Can Keep You Motivated in Every Season
by guest blogger Sarah Welch
Thank you to Sarah for inviting me to write this guest post! I’m Sarah Welch and I’m here because Sarah R. and I have both noticed a something that I’m sure you’ve felt, too:
Some days—some seasons, even—it’s nearly impossible to convince ourselves to sit down and write.
If this doesn’t resonate with you, stop reading right now and email me to share your secrets with the rest of us.
If it does resonate, you’re not alone. Even the most dedicated, most seasoned, most successful authors get the “don’t wannas” once in a while.
There’s a lot of fantastic guidance out there on how to overcome these mental blocks, but I’m here to share the strategy that works best for me—and that has worked famously for several members of my writing community, too:
Find Your Why
I’m not talking about what you might say to strangers to brush off imposter syndrome at a party. Not, “It’s just a fun hobby,” or “Oh, I just always thought it would be cool to write a book.” I’m talking about your deep-seated, foundational why. Because I know there’s a deeper, more powerful reason you feel pulled to write, and I can guarantee it’s a really good one.
What might that reason be? Only you can say, but for a little inspiration, I recommend “Why I Write,” the first essay in Jami Attenberg’s book 1,000 Words. Here are a few excerpts to get you thinking:
“I write to make people feel less alone. I write because I want to communicate messages with the world.”
“I write because it’s a political statement, because I’m a feminist, and I want to exercise my freedom of speech. I write because I believe in myself, and that I have something worth saying.”
“I write because it’s fun; I take genuine pleasure in the words dancing before me on the page.”
“I write to process my shit.”
Your why might be one of these, or it might be something else entirely. Maybe you write because you want to be part of your family’s beloved storytelling tradition. Maybe you write because the written word is how you express yourself best in confusing times. Maybe you write because your characters have been living in your head for years, and you’re ready to share them with the world. The more specific and personal you can get as you reflect, the more powerful your why will be in keeping you grounded in your writing practice.
Write It Down
No matter what your relationship with your writing practice looks like at the moment, I encourage you to make time today to reflect on your own personal why. Journal it, type it out in your notes app, or post it somewhere where you can see it every day. If you’re in a season of avoiding the page, this exercise can help you come back. If you’re in a season of writing every spare minute, your why will keep you motivated—and you’ll have it ready for you when the seasons change.
Because, as we all know, the season will change. At some point, you’ll find yourself in a stage where it seems like everything else is more important than you’re writing. When that happens, and you’re struggling to convince that your practice has value, your why can bring you back.
Return to It As Needed
Even with a clearly defined why in place, there will be days when writing feels hard. That’s normal. Life is busy, responsibilities pile up, and sometimes writing feels too indulgent when there are so many other demands on your time. This is why keeping your why visible is so important. It serves as a reminder that your writing matters—not just in a hypothetical sense, but in a deeply personal one.
When you hit a period of resistance, revisit your why. Start by reading it out loud. Let the words sink in. Remind yourself that you chose them for a reason. For an extra boost, write a letter to your currently slumping self from the version of you who’s just cracking away on your WIP. Remind yourself why you love it, how it fills you up, and why it’s just as valuable a part of your life as anything that might be standing in your way right now.
(Does writing a letter to yourself feel even sillier than writing your novel right now? I promise it’s not. Writing even when you don’t feel like it is an act of reclaiming your creative self. And writing about writing can be just as valuable as actually working on your WIP. In this case, writing about your why, and visualizing yourself as an author who’s fully embraced that why, can tether you back to that creative identity, even when doubt creeps in)
Writing is a long game, and no matter how experienced you become, there will be highs and lows, productive periods and dry spells. If you can hold onto your why, you’ll always have a path back to the page.
Need More Help Rejuvenating Your Writing Practice?
My free download, “10 Practical Tips to Build a Sustainable Writing Practice,” is part guide and part journal — with ten strategies and 20 writing prompts to help you turn your desire to write into a long-term practice that fills you up.