Aspiring Writer

Articles for the aspiring writer on how to say stuff. Explores elements of writing to help you improve your writing and publish your work.

June 5 2021

7 Must Read Books On Writing

Aspiring Writer

Learning to write well is an ongoing process. In this blog, I share 6 must read books on writing. Some of these books have been around for ages, others, not as long. Either way, they’re good books. I hope you’ll pick up one or two of them.

When it comes to books on writing, I read them to learn ways to improve my work. For me, most books about how to write fall short. There are literally hundreds, if not thousands of books on the subject out there. I’m sure there’s a flavor for all of us. Here are the books that resonate with me.

The Captains of Books on Writing

1. The Elements of Style by William Strunk is on everyone’s list. It has been assigned reading in high school and college for decades. I read it so long ago. The things I remember stick around for all my writing. The main ones are:

clear and concise

no unnecessary words

use active voice

watch those loose sentences.

I don’t remember much more than that. You can get a free copy of the first edition from Project Gutenberg.

2. How to Speak and Write Clearly by John Delvin was published in 1910, a full eight years before Strunk’s The Elements of Style. It’s more comprehensive and represents what it means to write effectively. The book is probably number one on my list of books on writing to have in your library. No matter how well you write, reading this book will drop golden nuggets of style in your path. Pick them up to improve your writing. I’ve read the book a few times over the years. Every time I read it, something new pops out for me. Maybe I’ll read it again next year. Get it from Project Gutenberg.

It’s Academic

3. The Art of Fiction by John Gardner is considered by some, pompous. I disagree, certain parts were very academic and heady but they didn’t discourage me. Two parts were particularly helpful to me. First, his discussion of the one single most important, all time key factor to writing good stories is priceless. He explains how and why stories must have convincing human beings in them. It’s worth the read.

The second helpful discussion is in chapter five where Gardner dives into Common Errors. It is perhaps the only chapter where he teaches the reader about the skill of writing. From him one can develop, improve or revisit sentence structure as a meaning units or series of syntactic slots. Having a sound understanding of the syntactic slots can improve a writer’s ability to craft great sentences. For a summary on sentence structure read How to Write Great Sentences.

4. Plotto: The Master Book of All Plots by William Wallace Cook is another oldie but goodie. It’s a simple setup. First learn how building a plot works. Then use the groups to construct a plot. I used this book when I first started writing short stories.

Plotto got me started. The book is very academic, but it’s worth the read.

7 Must Read Books On Writing
When I work with writing students, I often suggest they use the Plotto method to come up with plots. It’s really as simple as:

The Masterplot formula: A Clause + B Clause + C Clause
The A Clause: Establishes the protagonist (in general terms)
The B Clause: Originates and continues the action
The C Clause: Continues and resolves the action

I’m not sure if this book is still under copyright but you can reference it here.

A Stage A Part From Books On Writing

5. The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri was first published in 1946. Its themes are dated, but it is a great book. Some may also find the book challenging because it focus is on plays. To me, it’s worth the read to learn about conflict. In part three, Egri discusses static conflict, jumping conflict, foreshadowing and transition. His analysis gives insight into what it takes to make a story feel real, avoid bad endings and most of all illogical character actions or plot changes. After I read this book, I couldn’t help noticing conflict problems in books and movies.

Modern Books

6. Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell offers a comprehensive look at plot development. Each chapter focuses on some element of story plot. Use the book to learn how to develop plots. Reference the book to correct plot problems in your story. One of the most helpful tools in this book is the checklist in Appendix A; it covers critical plot points such as:

Reminders of how to create Lead characters

Tips for creating a “knockout” ending

How to check your plot structure

Plot ideas

Another valuable takeaway from this book is how to revise your manuscript. In that chapter, the author recommends that authors develop a read-through strategy. He provides a nice method. Check it out.

7. Writing Tools by Roy Peter Clark will get the aspiring writer off to a good start. For the seasoned writer it serves as a reminder of how to tick all the boxes in those important writing projects. You may not benefit from every tip, but one of the fifty-five tips is probably aimed right at you.

I could go on. But this list represents those books that have been most helpful to me as a writer.

April 5 2021

Comma Splice vs Run-on Sentences

Aspiring Writer, On Writing

These days, many writers have comma splices in their work. I don’t know if it’s an issue of knowledge or a matter of preference. Either way, I’ve read novels where the author used comma splices thought the book. I’m left wondering if the trend is here to stay. I hope not.

The great thing about knowing the rules is that you can break them with confidence. However, when it comes to comma splices, grammarians say don’t do it. Nevertheless, if you decide to use comma splices anyway, do so sparingly. Personally, I prefer not to use them. Now, let’s jump into it, I’m ready.

What are Run-on Sentences?

A run-on sentence has two or more independent clauses without any punctuation. (i.e. Clause one clause two or for example, Now, let’s jump into it I’m ready.) If you want, read about fixing run-on sentences.

What is a Comma Splice?

A comma splice, like a run-on sentence happens when you join two independent clauses using improper punctuation. In the first case, the run-on does not have any punctuation, making the sentence appear as a single clause. Alternatively, with comma splices, a comma erroneously joins two independent clauses.

For example, the following, Clause one clause two, is a run-on sentence. Whereas, the structure, Clause one, clause two, is a comma splice.

Let’s look at an example of a comma splice: All men are created equal, we have certain inalienable rights.

Four Ways to Fix Comma Splices:

1. Use a period

Comma Splice: You’re the fastest runner, you’re not allowed to win

Fixed: You’re the fastest runner. You’re not allowed to win.

2. Use a semi-colon

Comma Splice: You’re the fastest runner, you’re not allowed to win.

Fixed: You’re the fastest runner; you’re not allowed to win.

3. Use a coordinating conjunction (g. and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet) with a comma

Comma Splice: You’re the fastest runner, you’re not allowed to win.

Fixed: You’re the fastest runner, but you’re not allowed to win.

4. Use a subordinating conjunction (e.g. after, although, as, because, before, even if, if, once, so that, though, unless, until, when, whereas, while) and a comma

Comma Splice: You’re the fastest runner, you’re not allowed to win.

Fixed: As you’re the fastest runner, you’re not allowed to win.

So, the fix is in. Now, you can check for run-ons and comma splices in your work.

March 5 2021

Run-On Sentences Vs Long Sentences

Aspiring Writer, Naughty Words, Writing Style

A search for long sentences in literature led me to write this post on long vs run-on sentences. Unfortunately, I found many sites, if not educational sites, made no distinction between the two types of sentences. Sadly, several sites listed long sentences written by many of history’s most cherished authors as run-on sentences. Have a look at some of the long sentences in literature. Did you notice? Interestingly, they are not run-on sentences.

At any rate, before writing this post, I wanted to check my assumptions. In order to do it, I asked several friends, and a few strangers to define “run-on sentence”. I’m sad to report that almost 100% thought that long sentences were run-on sentences or as one person put it, “it’s when a sentence just goes on and on and on.” Nope, that’s not it at all.

How Long are Run-on Sentences?

In fact, length has nothing to do with it. Let’s look let’s learn why. The previous sentence is a run-on sentence. First, we’ll define run-on sentence. Once that’s done, the difference between long and run-on sentences will become easier to grasp. Now, let’s look and let’s learn why.

What are Run-on Sentences?

A run-on sentence has two or more independent clauses without any punctuation. (i.e. Clause one clause two or Let’s look let’s learn why). Simple right?

Here’s an example:

Two independent unpunctuated clauses:

Run-on: The batter hit the ball with all his might he got a home run.

Two clauses punctuated with a period:

Fixed: The batter hit the ball with all his might. He got a home run.

Remember, you can’t use a comma to fix a run-on sentence. If you do, you’ll create a comma splice. That’s when a comma separates two independent clauses. To learn more about comma splices read comma splice vs run-on sentences.

Four possible fixes:

1. Use a period

Run-on: You’re the fastest runner you’re not allowed to win

Fixed: You’re the fastest runner. You’re not allowed to win.

2. Use semi-colon

Run-on: You’re the fastest runner you’re not allowed to win.

Fixed: You’re the fastest runner; you’re not allowed to win.

3. Use a coordinating conjunction (e.g. and, but, for, nor, or, so, yet) with a comma

Run-on: You’re the fastest runner you’re not allowed to win.

Fixed: You’re the fastest runner, but you’re not allowed to win.

4. Use a subordinating conjunction (e.g. after, although, as, because, before, even if, if, once, so that, though, unless, until, when, whereas, while) and a comma

Run-on: You’re the fastest runner you’re not allowed to win.

Fixed: Although you’re the fastest runner, you’re not allowed to win.

That’s all there is to it. Again, run-ons have two or more independent clauses without any punctuation. From now on, you can use one of the four fixes to turn run-on sentences in to properly punctuated independent clauses. Finally, a note of caution before we move on, longer sentences are more likely to have run-ons or comma splices. For more on writing great sentences see Comma Splice vs Run-on Sentences.

Additionally, if you wish, refer to Purdue’s Online Writing Lab to clarify any issues you have with English grammar.

February 18 2021

Long Sentences in Literature

Aspiring Writer, Writing Style

We have all read long sentences. Good writers know how to create sentences of any length, that’s why a good stories have sentences of varying length. Some even have incredibly long ones.

Remember…

Long sentences are wonderful. I like them. Short sentences please me too. It’s important to note, long sentences are not bad and short sentences are not better. On the other hand, short sentences are not bad and long sentences are not better. We all understand, some writers might forge long sentences for the sake of proving an ability to craft those types of sentences, thus using all the wit contained in the brain, combined with samples of a large lexicon, such wordsmiths are not always capable of making those tedious sentences enjoyable. Short is good.

A Sample of Long Sentences

For the sake of this post let’s say only long sentences are good, to get more familiar with how long sentences work, consider reading How to Write Great Sentences.

67 Words – The Chosen by Chaim Potok (1967)

The caps tapped against the stone of the steps, then against the stone of the top landing in front of the double door -and I remembered the old man I often saw walking along Lee Avenue, moving carefully through the busy street and tapping, tapping, his metal-capped cane, which served him for eyes he had lost in a First World War trench doing a German Gas attack.

105 Words – Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (1719)

I was born in the year 1632, in the city of York, of a good family, though not of that country, my father being a foreigner of Bremen, who settled first at Hull. He got a good estate by merchandise, and leaving off his trade, lived afterwards at York, from whence he had married my mother, whose relations were named Robinson, a very good family in that country, and from whom I was called Robinson Kreutznaer; but, by the usual corruption of words in England, we are now called—nay we call ourselves and write our name—Crusoe; and so my companions always called me.

107 Words – Stuart Little by E.B. White (1945)

In the loveliest town of all, where the houses were white and high and the elms trees were green and higher than the houses, where the front yards were wide and pleasant and the back yards were bushy and worth finding out about, where the streets sloped down to the stream and the stream flowed quietly under the bridge, where the lawns ended in orchards and the orchards ended in fields and the fields ended in pastures and the pastures climbed the hill and disappeared over the top toward the wonderful wide sky, in this loveliest of all towns Stuart stopped to get a drink of sarsaparilla.

Descriptions of Life

116 Words – Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (1925)

It was not to them (not to Hugh, or Richard, or even to devoted Miss Brush) the liberator of the pent egotism, which is a strong martial woman, well nourished, well descended, of direct impulses, downright feelings, and little introspective power (broad and simple–why could not every one be broad and simple? she asked) feels rise within her, once youth is past, and must eject upon some object–it may be Emigration, it may be Emancipation; but whatever it be, this object round which the essence of her soul is daily secreted, becomes inevitably prismatic, lustrous, half looking glass, half precious stone; now carefully hidden in case people should sneer at it; now proudly displayed.

118 Words – That Evening Sun by William Faulkner (1931)

The streets are paved now, and the telephone and electric companies are cutting down more and more of the shade trees–the water oaks, the maples and locusts and elms–to make room for iron poles bearing clusters of bloated and ghostly and bloodless grapes, and we have a city laundry which makes the rounds on Monday morning, gathering the bundles of clothes into bright-colored, specially-made motor cars: the soiled wearing of a whole week now flees apparitionlike behind alert and irritable electric horns, with a long diminishing noise of rubber and asphalt like tearing silk, and even the Negro women who still take in white people’s washing after the old custom, fetch and deliver it in automobiles.

Are These Run-on or Long Sentences?

119 Words – A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (1859)

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

123 Words – Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (1877)

It is true that Alexei Alexandrovich vaguely sensed the levity and erroneousness of this notion of his faith, and he knew that when, without any thought that his forgiveness was the effect of a higher power, he had given himself to his spontaneous feeling, he had experienced greater happiness than when he thought every minute, as he did now, that Christ lived in his soul, and that by signing papers he was fulfilling His will, but it was necessary for him to think that way, it was so necessary for him in his humiliation to possess at least an invented loftiness from which he, despised by everyone, could despise others, that he clung to his imaginary salvation as if it were salvation indeed.

Perfectly Formed Long Sentences

127 Words – The Jazz Age by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1922)

Sometimes, though, there is a ghostly rumble among the drums, an asthmatic whisper in the trombones that swings me back into the early twenties when we drank wood alcohol and every day in every way grew better and better, and there was a first abortive shortening of the skirts, and girls all looked alike in sweater dresses, and people you didn’t want to know said ‘Yes, we have no bananas’, and it seemed only a question of a few years before the older people would step aside and let the world be run by those who saw things as they were and it all seems rosy and romantic to us who were young then, because we will never feel quite so intensely about our surroundings any more.

128 Words – Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (1719)

He told me it was men of desperate fortunes on one hand, or of aspiring, superior fortunes on the other, who went abroad upon adventures, to rise by enterprise, and make themselves famous in undertakings of a nature out of the common road; that these things were all either too far above me or too far below me; that mine was the middle state, or what might be called the upper station of low life, which he had found, by long experience, was the best state in the world, the most suited to human happiness, not exposed to the miseries and hardships, the labour and sufferings of the mechanic part of mankind, and not embarrassed with the pride, luxury, ambition, and envy of the upper part of mankind.

Unbelievably Long Sentences

180 Words – Emma by Ane Austen (1815)

The charming Augusta Hawkins, in addition to all the usual advantages of perfect beauty and merit, was in possession of an independent fortune, of so many thousands as would always be called ten; a point of some dignity, as well as some convenience: the story told well; he had not thrown himself away — he had gained a woman of ten thousand pounds, or thereabouts; and he had gained her with such delightful rapidity — the first hour of introduction had been so very soon followed by distinguishing notice; the history which he had to give Mrs. Cole of the rise and progress of the affair was so glorious — the steps so quick, from the accidental rencontre, to the dinner at Mr. Green’s, and the party at Mrs. Brown’s — smiles and blushes rising in importance — with consciousness and agitation richly scattered — the lady had been so easily impressed — so sweetly disposed — had in short, to use a most intelligible phrase, been so very ready to have him, that vanity and prudence were equally contented.

What? Bordering on Confusion

216 Words – Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens (1841)

There he sat, watching his wife as she decorated the room with flowers for the greater honour of Dolly and Joseph Willet, who had gone out walking, and for whom the tea-kettle had been singing gaily on the hob full twenty minutes, chirping as never kettle chirped before; for whom the best service of real undoubted china, patterned with divers round-faced mandarins holding up broad umbrellas, was now displayed in all its glory; to tempt whose appetites a clear, transparent, juicy ham, garnished with cool green lettuce-leaves and fragrant cucumber, reposed upon a shady table, covered with a snow-white cloth; for whose delight, preserves and jams, crisp cakes and other pastry, short to eat, with cunning twists, and cottage loaves, and rolls of bread both white and brown, were all set forth in rich profusion; in whose youth Mrs V. herself had grown quite young, and stood there in a gown of red and white: symmetrical in figure, buxom in bodice, ruddy in cheek and lip, faultless in ankle, laughing in face and mood, in all respects delicious to behold—there sat the locksmith among all and every these delights, the sun that shone upon them all: the centre of the system: the source of light, heat, life, and frank enjoyment in the bright household world.

280 Words – The House Of The Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1851)

The purity of his judicial character, while on the bench; the faithfulness of his public service in subsequent capacities; his devotedness to his party, and the rigid consistency with which he had adhered to its principles, or, at all events, kept pace with its organized movements; his remarkable zeal as president of a Bible society; his unimpeachable integrity as treasurer of a widow’s and orphan’s fund; his benefits to horticulture, by producing two much-esteemed varieties of the pear, and to agriculture, through the agency of the famous Pyncheon-bull; the cleanliness of his moral deportment, for a great many years past; the severity with which he had frowned upon, and finally cast off, an expensive and dissipated son, delaying forgiveness until within the final quarter of an hour of the young man’s life; his prayers at morning and eventide, and graces at meal-time; his efforts in furtherance of the temperance cause; his confining himself, since the last attack of the gout, to five diurnal glasses of old sherry wine; the snowy whiteness of his linen, the polish of his boots, the handsomeness of his gold-headed cane, the square and roomy fashion of his coat, and the fineness of its material, and, in general, the studied propriety of his dress and equipment; the scrupulousness with which he paid public notice, in the street, by a bow, a lifting of the hat, a nod, or a motion of the hand, to all and sundry his acquaintances, rich or poor; the smile of broad benevolence wherewith he made it a point to gladden the whole world;–what room could possibly be found for darker traits, in a portrait made up of lineaments like these?

More Recent Long Sentences

310 Words – A Letter From Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King (1963)

But when you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate-filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters; when you see the vast majority of your twenty million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society; when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your six-year-old daughter why she can’t go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see her beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness toward white people; when you have to concoct an answer for a five-year-old son who is asking: Daddy, why do white people treat colored people so mean?; when you take a cross-country drive and find it necessary to sleep night after night in the uncomfortable corners of your automobile because no motel will accept you; when you are humiliated day in and day out by nagging signs reading white and colored; when your first name becomes nigger, your middle name becomes boy (however old you are) and your last name becomes John, and your wife and mother are never given the respected title Mrs.; when you are harried by day and haunted by night by the fact that you are a Negro, living constantly at tiptoe stance, never quite knowing what to expect next, and are plagued with inner fears and outer resentments; when you go forever fighting a degenerating sense of nobodiness–then you will understand why we find it difficult to wait.

From Fiction…

318 Words – Native Son by Richard Wright (1940)

It sounded suddenly directly above his head and when he looked it was not there but went on tolling and with each passing moment he felt an urgent need to run and hide as though the bell were sounding a warning and he stood on a street corner in a red glare of light like that which came from the furnace and he had a big package in his arms so wet and slippery and heavy that he could scarcely hold onto it and he wanted to know what was in the package and he stopped near an alley corner and unwrapped in and the paper fell away and he saw—it was his own head—his own head lying with black face and half-closed eyes and lips parted with white teeth showing and hair wet with blood and the red glare grew brighter like light shining down from a red moon and red stars on a hot summer night and he was sweating and breathless from running and the bell clanged so loud that he could hear the iron tongue clapping against the metal sides each time it swung to and fro and he was running over a street paved with black coal and his shoes kicked tiny lumps rattling against tin cans and he knew that very soon he had to find some place to hide but there was no place and in front of him white people were coming to ask about the head from which the newspapers had fallen and which was now slippery with blood in his naked hands and he gave up and stood in the middle of the street in the red darkness and cursed the booming bell and the white people and felt that he did not give a damn what happened to him and when the people closed in he hurled the bloody head squarely into their faces dongdongdong….

Do You Like Long Sentences?

I’m not a huge fan of excessively long sentences, but I love medium, somewhat long sentences. The most important thing to remember is that a long sentence should NOT be a run-on sentence.

January 18 2021

6 Tips on How to Make Writing a Habit

Aspiring Writer, On Writing

Are you having trouble starting or finishing your book? Many writers struggle to write their first book. I was one of them. Tackling my novel frightened me more than I’d like to admit but I did it. Let’s go over 6 tips on how to make writing a habit.

Getting Out of Your Own Way

Prepare yourself to succeed and you will. When I set out to write my first novel, I had written many short stories, poems and various non-fiction pieces. At the start, I had two major weaknesses. First, forming the habit of daily writing sessions and second writing for at least four hours per session.

6 tips on how to make writing a habit

1. Specify A Time to Write

Alright, you have a full-time job and everything seems to crash down, never leaving you time to write. That’s why setting a specific time is so important. Maybe you need to write before your family wakes up or maybe after they’ve gone to bed. Either way, figure out a time where you can claim at least 90 minutes of uninterrupted writing. For me, I wrote every morning from 5am to 9am. Then, I started working on my paid projects. For more tips on getting started, read about how to get past the first chapter.

2. Create A Dedicated Writing Area

This seems easy but for some, it’s not an easy thing to do. If you have children, or roommates, carving out a space might be difficult. Some of the best rules for writing are:

Turn off all electronics
Have only the tools you need (pen, paper, laptop without internet)
Comfortable chair and desk / table to write on
Music, if you need it to block out noise or distractions

The most important rule on this list is have only the tools you need. That’s the best way to give yourself a chance at laser focused writing.

3. Quit When You Feel Stuck

This one seems like a no brainer but it’s one of the most difficult things to do. Shut it down and walk away. Sometimes, that’s all it takes to make a breakthrough. Sometimes, when I struggle to figure out what my protagonist should do in response to a problem, I take a walk. One time, I went to the gym. On the way home, I heard a radio program that gave me a breakthrough. Always remember you can just walk away.

4. Get A Timing Tool

Use a timing tool to help make writing a habit. One of the best timing methods is Pomodoro. You can find a Pomodoro app to help you focus. These tools have a work period and a break period. I set mine to 90-30 blocks, which meant I wrote for ninety minutes and then took a thirty minute break. The breaks really help. During the breaks, my mind fills with ideas and solutions. Try working this way to increase your productivity.

5. Get A Habit Tracker

Once you set a time, carve out space and track your time. You may still want a habit tracker. It may motivate you to write daily. Using a habit tracker can boost your resolve and give you a way to challenge yourself.

I used the Today app to track my progress. As you can see from my screenshot, I wrote 340 days in a row. During that year, I completed Private Matters, a Novel.

Keep a Journal

A journal is one of the best ways to track your progress. A steady account of your journey may help you to stay on task.

I ended up with 82,699 words in 340 days and I still write every day.

What’s Next…

Plan out your book. Then set your writing time. That’s it! If you decide to use one of the habit apps switch to airplane mode before you begin your session. Trust me, that ding is irritating and pesky too. You can do it. Perhaps you’ll complete your book faster than you ever expected.

January 5 2021

Why Write: What Motivates Writers

Aspiring Writer, On Writing

Why write? What motivates writers to put together all those words. Why not choose an easier more profitable profession? Every writer has been asked about their desire to write. Maybe someone has said, “What do you like about writing?” And if the question hasn’t been asked of you in some form, you’re likely not writing enough. But most of all, writers ask of themselves, “Why do I write?”

What Keeps Writers Writing

George Orwell in his essay, Why I Write, has given some thought to the question. He surmises the motivation behind a writer’s dedication to the written word comes down to four key factors.

1. Sheer egoism

Our desire to show our unique voice to the world and most of all have people like and remember us, as they sing our praises when we receive our rewards. According to Orwell, serious writers are self-centered but less interested in money than journalists. Ha, ha. This may have been true in 1946, but I’d say journalist are far more self-centered these days.

2. Aesthetic enthusiasm

This item refers to a writer’s love of words. The desire and effort to make things sound just right. The way a writer focuses on style, structure or diction all impact the written word. Writers care about how the written words sounds, how it looks on the page and so much more. It all matters.

3. Historical impulse

Refers to the “Desire to see things as they are, to find out true facts and store them up for the use of posterity.” I’m not in this group at all.

4. Political purpose

Orwell defines political as a means to alter people’s ideas of society. I’d add philosophical purpose to this item. Every writer has some kind of philosophy and whether conscious or not, it works its way into the words we write and the stories we tell.

I want to add a fifth reason to why writers write.

5. The love of great stories.

Maybe this is embedded in sheer egoism but I don’t think so because by that logic so are items two through four. I believe die-hard writers love telling great stories. Is it possible to tell a great story without the other four items? Probably not. In order to write compelling stories, we must pay attention to aesthetics, tune into the historical impulse and evaluate political and philosophical ideas. But even before all that is the desire to tell the story in the first place. Writing is addictive.

I do write for all of these reasons. I’d like to exempt myself from item one but that too would be sheer egoism.