My Views on Writing

Now that I've made a post about other's views on writing, it's time I share my own.

Why do people write? What is it inside a person's head that compels them to put their thoughts on paper?  Some may wish to make money, but how easy is it really to make money writing? In order to be successful as a writer, one ought to be very good at it. At least, this is my opinion. Others may disagree, and the 21st century culture is full of bad writers making good money. I say this is a disgrace.
Why do I write? What drives me to put pen to paper and let the words flow from my heart?
I think writing is a bridge to sanity. It helps you sort out what's real versus what's only in your head. It helps you organize your thoughts so you can sort through them and try to make some sense out of them. Some people are very good at this. Some people can make the muddled-up tangled web of messy thoughts in their heads so clear that it provides understanding not only for them, but for others as well. Sometimes people can see their own problems explained through someone else's good writing.
And sometimes people want to forget about their problems, and so they write. They write themselves into another world, another dimension, until their pain isn't felt and they can experience happiness again. And those who don't write, read. They read themselves into someone else's life and someone else's experiences, until they can forget their own.
This is why, when you finish a good book and close the door on what was a wonderful world, it's like a death for some people as they wake up and find themselves once again in their own life. And this is why so many readers find themselves going back, reading again and again, and begging writers for more.
And this, I believe, is why writers write. Not only to satisfy their own cravings deep within themselves, but to ease the hungry longings of a thousand dedicated readers, begging for another journey into their favorite worlds.