What Is the Real Purpose of Writing?

I would imagine that nearly every writer has an understanding of why they write. Most of us have been lifelong readers. Most of us have deeply respected and admired those talented people who produce movies in our head with nothing but strategically placed words. On a more personal level, there’s the indescribable sense of flow when the words pour out oh-so-effortlessly, there’s that stroke of brilliance when a plot twist strikes out of nowhere, there’s the feeling of creating something that no one else has before. Every one of those feelings is motivating and rewarding and necessary for our long-term writing mojo.

Writing Requires Commitment and Motivation

But the road to the publication dream is littered with unfinished manuscripts, dejected hearts, and writers wondering if they should turn around and head home. The reality is that success in the writing game is more of a marathon than a sprint, and that sort of motivation tends to wax and wane. But as I was researching my upcoming Grit for Writers book, I discovered that Angela Duckworth, best-selling author of Grit: Why Passion and Perseverance are the Secrets to Success, defines purpose a little differently. She frames purpose as ‘the idea that what we do matters to people other than ourselves.’

Writing is all about Connecting with Others

 If that mission statement doesn’t apply to writing, I don’t know what does. Sure, writing is about creating something unique, our own slice of the impossible and extraordinary. But the short stories, the poems, the self-help books, the scary, moving, funny, touching fiction we put out there is actually for the reader (otherwise we’d be happy for them to remain in our computers). Ultimately, we create them to entertain, to inspire, to provoke what-ifs, to elicit emotions, to broaden horizons, to challenge perspectives. That drive is about touching others.

We’re Wired to Want to Connect

This desire to connect is actually been programmed into our DNA. Evolution’s job was to make sure we survived, and humans haven’t just survived, we’ve thrived. Evolution achieved this by making survival-enhancing behaviors pleasurable. If our ancestors hadn’t had a hankering for food and sex, I wouldn’t have written this post, and you wouldn’t be here to read it.

And just like our drive for these essential-to-survival needs have been deeply wired into our programming, so did seeking meaning and purpose. Why? Because the drive to connect also enhances our survival. Evolution discovered that humans who connect were more likely to survive than the loners (much to the dismay of my hermit tendencies). Communities kept us fed, built us shelters, gave us sanitation and electricity and printing presses. So if fellow humans help us survive and thrive, we need to want to be with fellow humans and connect with them.

Purpose is the Foundation of Your Motivation

This is why we aren’t content to let our manuscripts collect virtual dust on our computers. Why else do we reach out to our favorite authors to let them know how their book touched us? It’s also why positive feedback or reviews are just as good as chocolate (believe me, it’s significant that I wrote that).

It’s not surprising that research has shown that having purpose allows you to be persistent in your goals and resilient when you experience setbacks. It’s because you feel inspired by something bigger than yourself. When you acknowledge that your writing contributes to others, in a magnificently diverse and deeply unique way, you appreciate the value of what you do. Once you articulate this, you’ll discover that purpose is the foundation for your passion to write.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Why do you write?
• How will your writing contribute to others?

Purpose is the Foundation of your Message

Now that we’ve articulated why we write, I’d encourage to think a little deeper. Writing gives something to our readers. Something unique. Something straight from you. This is the part that you can use to fine tune the story you’re writing right now. Ask yourself; what’s the message, opinion, or world-view that you’re trying to convey? Maybe you want to share stories of human triumph or raise existential questions, maybe you want to warn of the harsh realities of human nature. That value or statement is what will shine through your story. Ultimately, readers won’t remember the details of your brilliant prose or clever metaphors (although they’re pretty useful to get them to read to the end), they will remember what they learned. Just like I’ll always remember The Fault in Our Stars because it made me think of how we touch others before we die, or The Little Prince because it had me reflecting on how close-minded we adults are, your theme or message will be tied in with your purpose

Ask yourself the following questions:

• What is the theme or message of your current manuscript? How does it tie in with why writing is important to you?
• Imagine yourself in fifteen years from now. What do you want readers to remember you for?

I encourage every writer to identify how their writing is personally rewarding, but at the same time, is connected to the well-being of others. What’s awesome is that this process will have a twofold benefit. You’ll articulate the message of your book, which gives the reader a gift to take with them long after they finished your story (and keeps your plot focused). But whilst you’re tapping out the thousands of words needed to get there, purpose will be the source of your motivation tomorrow, next month, and when we’re both lamenting how much fan mail is in our inbox 😉

I’d love to hear your perspectives. The diversity of the writing community is one of its many strengths.

What is your purpose? Does keeping this in mind help you in the marathon of writing success? How does it connect to the theme or message in your book?

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