Why Do You Write? · 12:54pm Apr 16th, 2016
After reading this excellent blog from bookplayer, it had me really thinking... why am I writing fanfiction? What am I trying to accomplish?
Kind of long, but if you stick around 'till then end, you'll get a pony!
Now as far as fandoms go, pony isn't the one that I love the most, eh technically. I have more pony merchandise than from any other fandom, and I've attended a convention and plan on going to more. But this fandom, more than others, has inspired me to write! Maybe it's because I'm older, but this fandom hasn't inspired much more for me. Star Trek on the other hand, something I grew up with, has influenced me on a much deeper personal level. My love of space, sci-fi, philosophy, astronomy, and science all stems from Star Trek. My love for reading was, without a doubt, Harry Potter; I wasn't much of a reader until I picked up the Sorcerer's Stone one day. And aside from reading the entire series only a million times, I've read so many other books too.
So then why MLP?
Well horses... I love horses. I've been riding for years, and I've done everything from jumping to trail riding to vaulting (basically gymnastics on horse back). But my allure to the show is more than horses, there are plenty of other cartoon horse shows. It's the characters. They're well defined, but, with enough ambiguity to make them intriguing, giving the potential for theories to run wild. Not only did the show defy everything I thought it would be (in a good way), I really liked how engaging the characters were.
And ultimately that's what piqued my interested in writing. Although probably not on a conscious level, and certainly not on a fanfition level. That happened after I discovered some fanfiction on EqD, and I thought, wow, that was actually really good. So I read more and more until it inspired me to try something I've never done before: try my hand at writing my own stories.
So, if you've kept reading this long, you'll remember I asked, what am I trying to accomplish and why am I writing?
I like a challenge, I really do. Writing is something I've never been good at... ever. English was my worst subject in high school, and although I loved to read, I hated writing about it. That sentiment changed drastically in my last year when I took a literature class, though. Now, many years after high school and college, I find myself struggling to improve me weak writing skills, and I can safely say I've learned a lot since then. My first few stories were... something, but I feel each one is an improvement.
I write because I like it, because I want to get better at it. I write because a part of me wants to reach out and touch someone's life in some small way. Like Star Trek inspired me in science and a slew of other things, the way Harry Potter inspired me to read, and the way MLP has inspired me to write and be creative once again, I hope I too can reach someone with something I write.
There are many reasons why someone chooses to write: maybe it's something you just like doing, or you just have so many ideas and want to share, or maybe you just want to be heard or noticed or popular. It can be all or none of those things, and that's okay. Why do you write?
As promised.
I write because if I don't get the ideas out somehow, my head will explode. And I'm not entirely certain whether or not it will be figurative. Also because it's incredibly gratifying to see people enjoy those ideas.
I write because I have a message to send and also so that people will remember me after I die.
I want to write, largely because it's fun. Isn't that basically it for most of us?
3873849 It is. It's really awesome feeling when someone really likes your work.
3873920 Everyone has something to say. Although fanfiction writer I hope isn't the only thing you'll be remember as.
3873976 Mostly, yes, but there could other reasons.
3874615
Oh, no. I have decided to get those PH.D letters after my name, possibly become a doctor, a lawyer, a mathematician, or a teacher, depending on what route is most open to me, and, eventually, become one of the senators of my home state.
However, if I should die beforehand, at least I shall have made a mark on the world, however small.
To be precise, I desire power. Becoming a rich business magnate seems so tawdry and tasteless, so I intend to approach politics.
If not that, perhaps I shall be remembered as a great educator of the young, or the person who finally cracked the secret of faster-than-light travel, or some such.
Wow, I just write because there are stories I want to read that won't exist if I don't write them.
I am terrible at English, it was also my worst subject in school. But I do want to try my hand at writing. Keep an eye open for a story I may publish here one day.
I want to write because I want to give a positive impact on the community that I have grown to love so much these past few months.
It's quite funny as Star Trek is also what I grew up watching and also sparked my interest in science and mathematics. While I love MLP and Star Trek, I feel I love Star Trek a little bit more.
Also don't forget about that crossover fic.
3876083 I've been writing it.