Why do you write?

By Tammatha R. Conerly

I write, well, because I am alive and I must. I am a writer. Sometimes I don’t do a very good job of writing. Sometimes about the only thing I think I write that is worth anything isn’t worth anything, monetarily, at all – my personal blog.

I pose this question because of a recent article I read about HarperCollins limiting the number of times a library can lend out an e-Book to 26. That doesn’t sit well with me.

First of all, I am a writer and I like getting paid. I have bills to pay and not being paid means I can’t pay my bills, and I’ve rather grown accustomed to indoor plumbing, electricity and having a roof over my head. I also drive a vehicle, and at over $3 a gallon for gas, it costs a small fortune to fill up. I need money. However, I also use my local library as does my mother and my daughter. We check books out. I haven’t jumped on the e-Reader bandwagon just yet. It’s in my not so distant future though and when I do, I’m certain I will be utilizing the e-books available through my local library. So, limiting a library to 26 check outs per book means that if it’s a really good book, I probably won’t be able to read it unless I’m one of the first 26 people to want to read it electronically.

Which made me ask a question of myself as the writer, “Why do I write?” I write to make a living, but before that, I write to be read. I write to reach my audience. I write to entertain. It is a part of who I am. These characters that live inside me drive me out of my mind and scream at me in the middle of the night until I give up on any and all attempts at slumber and get up and write their story. I write to tell their story; I write so others can read and enjoy their story.

I’ve been poor. I’ve been homeless. I’ve lost all of my collection of beloved books. I’ve not had access to television, and the only source of entertainment I’ve had is reading, and without libraries I wouldn’t have been able to read.

Yes, I understand that print books are still available; I believe I mentioned I don’t have an e-reader yet myself. However, I would like to think that if I had one, and a book I wanted to read was available on it, and the library had a copy of it, I could check it out digitally.

As a writer, I want people to read what I write. Yes, I still want to make a living, but I also want to share with some of the less fortunate, or just someone who utilizes their library. I want what I write available to my audience. I like people to purchase what I write, but I also want it available at libraries. I don’t want a number cap put on how often a book I write can be checked out. The more times my book is checked out the better; just like the more my book is purchased is better.

Some are saying that digital publishing will take the place of print publishing, and within a few decades there will be no more newly printed books. Personally, I don’t think so, and I really hope I’m right, especially if other publishers follow this trend of limiting how many times a library can lend out a book.

So, back to the question at hand, why do you write?