Reasons for Creating Written Works Vary According to Your Goals

The reasons for creating written works are many. Each individual must address these reasons for him- or herself. Some people are satisfied to just pen their thoughts in a daily planner while others want to write short stories, plays, scripts, memoirs, poetry, articles, how-to books, novels, and other written works.

Reasons for creating written works may also include individuals who want to gain financial success or notoriety. They may think of successful individuals like Stephen King or Alice Walker or Amy Tan.  

However, how much time and energy is she willing to expend for her education? If she’s writing as a hobby, she may be satisfied with only reading a few online blogs to educate herself in getting started. To be a professional writer, however, is an endless journey in learning the craft, which includes taking courses, classes, attending workshops, reading books, and more.  

If you are interested in writing professionally, do you have an aptitude for doing so? If you ask successful writers when they started writing, most will tell you that they’ve always written. They don’t acknowledge a beginning. It’s as if they were born with a pen in hand. 

Ask the pianist how long she’s been tickling the ivory. She may tell you that her first memory was of herself seated at a piano. It’s not necessary for you to have an aptitude for writing in order to be successful, but if you do not, you will probably have monumental difficulties along the way.

Decide your reasons for creating written works and decide what it will be and on what level it will be. Let’s say you want to write short stories for publication. It’s imperative that you study successful short stories in order to get a feel for them. Pay particular attention to the author’s . . .

• Distinctive voice
• Word choices
• Setting
• Characters
• Dialogue
• Tension
• Pacing
• Conflict
• Climax
• Conclusion

The author’s voice should be distinctive. It should not sound like another author’s voice. Her voice will be different just as one person’s speaking voice is different from another’s.

What words do the author use? Do they promote a mood? A great author will stir emotions within you because of her ability to use great word choices.

The setting is the environment in which the story takes place. It is essentially another character. It can instantly put you in a particular mood by its descriptions. You can be on the moon or beneath the ocean. The setting makes all the difference.

How does your main character first appear in the story? If he is too plain and voiceless, that just won’t do. He must make an impressive first appearance.

When characters talk with one another, what they say should be important. It must move the story forward by providing more information about themselves or the story in general. Dialogue must sound natural and interesting.

Pacing is an element that makes sure your story moves at a rate that it should. If it moves too slowly, you might have extraneous material in it, and your reader can become bored and confused. If it moves too fast, crucial information may be overlooked. If it’s just right, your reader will enjoy the ride.

What is a story without tension and conflict? This is what keeps the reader glued to your story. You want to cause her great concern about the outcome of your story. You do this by triggering her emotions.

Tension and conflict build to the point of boiling over. This is the climax or the height of the story, the apex. From here, the conflict trails.

The conclusion or ending should bring the story to a logical conclusion. Questions should have been answered. This is where you let the reader off the rollercoaster.

It is important to further note that "a lot of what you write isn’t what you say; it’s how you say it. Sure, characters, story structure, and dialogue are important. There are a ton of books written on those subjects for a reason. But you could be an expert in all those things and still fail to tell a compelling story" (Chase intro.). 

If one of your reasons for creating written works is to write the short story, know that you must skillfully weave many elements into it in order to hook the reader. Yet these are only a few elements that comprise a memorable short story. There is more, much more that go into it. We will explore the short story more in further articles on this site.

One of the Reasons for Creating Written Works May Include Writing Poetry

 You may have a penchant for writing poetry. It can be less structured than other writings. Most of us have dabbled in it at some point and have found it a fun way to stimulate our creative juices.

Put another way poetry "is a type of literature that conveys a thought, describes a scene or tells a story in a concentrated, lyrical arrangement of words. Poems can be structured, with rhyming lines and meter, the rhythm and emphasis of a line based on syllabic beats. Poems can also be freeform, which follows no formal structure" (MasterClass).

Reasons for creating written works may be because some want to write poetry since they are falling in love. Feelings of love often surface when people hear certain beautiful and ethereal and rhythmic words. 

Plato, an Athenian philosopher, agrees and says at "the touch of love, everyone becomes a poet.”

Regardless of your reasons for creating written works, it can be a fun and fascinating journey. Choose what you want to write about. Realize that putting in time and effort will make you proud of your work, and it may even reach the level of success as a famous author.