I’ve been chatting with other writers lately; they have so many legitimate concerns. How adversely will AI affect authentic, human writing? How can writers deal with the growing reality of piracy? How can a writer possibly make a living doing what they love? Do they, in fact, love it anymore?
In my case, the answer is yes. I do love writing–more to the point, I love storytelling, and I don’t think I could stop if I tried. Whether or not I continue to make money doing so is unknown at this point, but the reasons that I WANT to write will not go away.
First, I write because it is fun to tell stories. When people write to me to say they love a character of mine, I say, “I love her, too!” In fact, I have to fall in love with a character in order to breathe life into him or her.
Second, I write to better understand. The hard work of thinking is fleshed out in writing, and we know ourselves better when we think and express ourselves eloquently.
Third, I write for catharsis. My dear father died in February. As I did when my mother died, I sat down at the keyboard and wrote out my feelings, weeping as I did so. I ended up with a six-page poem, a tribute to my father’s long life. It was the first and most significant way that I wanted to express my grief.
Fourth, I write because I admire the craft. Writing is an art, and I have spent decades trying to perfect that art. I have not come close to perfection, but I am much more skilled than I once was, and I want to practice those skills so that they do not wither.
Finally, I write because I can. My children have moved away, I am semi-retired, and I have what I always said I wanted: lots of quiet, alone time. And although I spend a lot of that time LISTENING to audiobooks and the great stories told by other writers, I also spend a good deal of time writing my own tales.
So yes: there are pitfalls that await the fledgling writer, and there are realities that create a gloomy outlook. But in terms of what writing does for each individual soul–no one can take that away, no matter how many robots churn out soulless text.
So write for yourself, and be happy.