I was reading some reviews on GoodReads the other day, and I came across the profile for B.J. Novak.  On his page there were some questions people had asked him and as I browsed through them, I came across this:

(Feel free to ignore the random stuff in quotes since that refers to a previous commenter.)

Wow.  Ain’t that the truth.

People DO have enough to read.  MORE than enough.

So why do it?  It kind of goes back to what I wrote last year in my post Why I Write.  I have to write.  It’s not really a choice for me (if I want to stay sane).  Writing is hard, but (not including being a mom, of course) it’s the only thing I really want to do and the only thing that makes me feel truly alive and fulfilled.

People don’t really need more books.  Even if you’ve got the most unique voice to ever hit the planet and your mind is overflowing with the next dozen Great American Novels.  People just don’t NEED it.  They’ve got enough to read.

So if you want to write, you have to do it first and foremost for yourself [myself].  Because you [I] want to.  Even if you [I] have to force yourself [myself] some days.

The end result is worth it.

And, on that note, I absolutely LOVE Neil Gaiman’s advice on how to easily become a writer.  Especially the part about Fox in Socks.  Because if your kids are like mine, as soon as you hit the last page and are silently praying thanks that you’ve survived it without your head exploding, your kids will request that you immediately reread it.

And that right there takes some REAL talent.

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