Why Do I Write…Part 2

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In August 2016, I wrote a blog titled, Why Do I Write. You can find the blog in my archives or click this link: https://annettemoriauthor.com/2016/08/26/why-do-i-write/. I’m writing part two because my motivations have evolved over the years. Nearly three years later and many more books under my belt, the landscape has shifted…in epic proportions. However, a small part of what I believed was my original motivation remains. What occurred over the years was an expansion of those reasons.

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I still like to educate and sneak in topics that cause people to think. I continue to want to touch people in a way they may or may not have experienced before. The new wrinkle as I enter the final quarter of my life is the ultimate driving force for me to continue. Yesterday I read a string of posts on Facebook that not only saddened me, but reinforced my view this remains important. Marginalized groups need a voice.

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Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about my existence…my purpose for living. My wife asked me about my thoughts on approaching our golden years and essentially the final quarter of our lives. I said I hadn’t really thought much about that, but what I had thought about was what I would leave behind. I asked if I could read her a passage that I’d written in, A Window to Love to help explain my thoughts a bit better. This is the passage I read to her:

“Are you for real? I’ve read about you. My God, you’re famous. I wish I could have afforded your services,” Mandie stated wistfully. “Your life matters—you left behind a legacy. There was absolutely no purpose for my life.”

“Don’t say that.”

“It’s true. I’m just one of the millions of people who were born to grow up and work forty or fifty years, then die leaving nothing behind but money and trinkets for their heirs. I didn’t even have any kids. What’s the point?”

“I don’t believe that for a second. Haven’t you ever read about how everything is interconnected? My favorite Christmas movie is It’s A Wonderful Life. I’d bet one of my designs you’ve had a major impact on people’s lives but just can’t trace it back. By the way, where did you live? I know for a fact that people outside the state of Washington have no idea who I am.”

“I lived on the east side of the state in Moses Lake.”

Then I said something that caused her to look at me in a new light. On occasion, even I have deep thoughts that are not a joke. I said, “It gives me great comfort to know that a little piece of me will be left behind after I leave this world.” She thought that was wonderful, but for a moment it caused her a bit of distress because she wondered about the purpose of her life. I had to remind her that a little piece of her is in the research she’s been a part of, including her name on a renowned published research study. She smiled at that.

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Every author should dig deep and explore the reasons for writing. Nancy Ann Healy reminded us all of that and her wisdom rings true and gives me solace. For me, it is not an occupation. I don’t expect to make a living with my writing. I’ve always believed that it was not about the money but did not know exactly what it was all about. It took some introspection to really understand what keeps me writing. Now that I know, it is a very freeing feeling to remove the pressure I’ve placed on myself this past year to ensure every book I write at least breaks even.

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