We all nodded sagely at this response, accepting it as pretty universally understood. So why do writers say they must write . It's a clich that one bandies about when the night is late and too many glasses of wine have been poured.
Writers are no more bound to write than a butcher is to whack away at sides of beef.
Writing is a choice we make . . . This is the question I've been asking myself these past few days, and while I don't pretend to know even half the reasons, I think I'm beginning to understand why some of us write. I don't believe the people who say they write because they don't know another way to make a living . . . People write because the best, the bravest and the highest goal of human beings is to create anew. Whether it's a treatise on human rights or a fantastical story of science fiction, writing is one way people bring order and meaning to human existence.