Michael T. Hare

Why do I drag myself to the computer even though my body would rather chill? Why do I dedicate hours to brainstorming and plotting? Alright, let’s ask the real question here: “WHY DO I WRITE?”

This isn’t a question of why I started writing. That’s a different story, and it isn’t enough to keep me going. Tonight’s post is about why I continue writing—a matter of the present.

The first reason is that I have a family. My brothers, sister, and parents enjoy my stories a lot, and I love taking them on all kinds of twists and turns, introducing them to characters, and of course, angering them with cliffhangers.

Greater yet is the opportunity to answer my brothers’ questions whenever they run into problems with their own writing. My experiences as an author have allowed me to help them out of tight spaces. The more I grow in my craft, the more wisdom I’ll have to share with them.

I write because it makes people think. It sparks conversations and reflections. It reveals experiences and possibilities that might never have been imagined otherwise. I write because everyone—from the youngest child to the oldest adult—deserves to ride a dragon.

My reason for writing also leaks into my vision for the future. I see my wife up too late, reading my latest story, hanging on the edge of her seat as the chapter draws to a close. I see my kids dressed up like Dragon Riders defending Dragonrealm (hint, hint. That’s a part of my newest project). I see myself signing books, my kids unpacking them, and my wife teasing me about forging my signature to speed up the process.

If you’re doubting yourself or feeling like a failure, take a moment to establish your reasons. Why? Why am I writing? What do I hope to achieve by writing? Maybe you’ll remember a reason that reenergizes you, or perhaps you’ll find a new reason you never knew was there.

Is writing hard? Yes, it certainly is, but I’m from Wyoming, where the earth is rugged and perilous. Not a inch of ground is level, and yet it remains the most beautiful of places. I encourage you, traveler, to ask yourself if the easy roads are truly the best ones.

Until we next meet.