Photo from Unsplash by Annie Spratt
When I mentioned Dwight Swain’s book in an earlier post I started thinking about people who write because they love to write for themselves. Every writer I know loves to write because they enjoy putting words on paper, but ultimately, they want to share.
Does any writer put words on paper and then put the paper in a desk drawer? (Yes, I know, first drafts should never see the light of day, forever in the trunk or drawer or burned. Some of my prose….aye yah yuk.; but I digress.)
What I’m getting at is that some people write because they love writing, and some people write because they are good at it and want to get paid for their work. So, books about the craft may address the esoteric reasons for writing and some may simply address how to make your essay or novel clearer.
No matter what the reason for writing, if it makes you feel better to get the words on paper, I think its valuable—maybe even therapeutic. And read—reading makes a better writer, but that’s a different post.