The Drive to Write

A recent conversation about writing’s role in our lives had me thinking. I’ve known several of these women since I started writing seriously, when Josh was little and we lived in our old house. I’ve seen several of these women publish, then realize writing is not the center of their lives.

I wouldn’t say writing is the dead center, but it’s pretty close to the middle of the circle. I write every day, I’m thinking about writing hours a day. It may be treatable by medication, (only joking a little about that) but it’s a burning drive. If I haven’t written, I get cranky.

Part of the drive is the ideas that just bubble in my head. Again, medication might be useful. But I have a good dozen ideas partially outlined and tentatively scheduled on my writing calendar.

One of my favorite quotes is from Isaac Asimov. In an interview, Barbara Walters asked, “But what would you do if the doctor gave you only six months to live?” He said, “Type faster.” That’s what drives me, the need to write stories.
What drives you?