Why write?

I've read a lot of writer's blogs and aspiring author's blogs and one of the things i've noticed was the various reasons why people write. I've always been interested in the reasons people do the things that they do. It was probably the reason I took psychology in high school and again in college. Because I liked to figure out the real reasons behind the things that people do what they do.

I mean some people go to school for a long time to become doctors and lawyers, and some don't and work at McDonalds and then some of the lucky few don't have to work at all. They spend their time wandering the world discovering new species of spider monkeys. Or something. But I've read tons and i mean tons of reasons why people have started writing novels.

So, I started to think about why I wanted to write; why I began to write. I thought about it long and hard because I wanted to understand why I'm doing this painfully beautiful, amazing yet excruciating thing.

At first it was because I loved to read. Sounds pretty strange but really the only thing that i've found is a constant is that writers are readers, no matter if they're published or not. We all love to read.

Then it was because I had a story in my head, one that i'd always wanted to read. And the only way that i was going to get to read it was if I wrote it myself.

And finally it's because ultimately I am selfish. I want someone to read my words and remember me. I want them to remember the way that my words made them feel. I want to matter to a person that I have never met. That's ultimately the reason why I write. It's not glamorous or the Miss America I want to save the world with peace answer but it's real. And since I've decided to be real with myself, and you (whoever you are) I figured I had to cite my reasons. Because if I want to be successful, I have to take this seriously.

Why do you write?