why do i write?

i just got out of my oral interp. class (i really think i'm gonna like this class). and in class today we had to write a list of events that showed our development in becoming a writer, why we are writers now (or some other creative outlet for the three theater people and one speech person in the class), and that really got me thinking. why do i write? it never really occured to me that i had any future at all in the writing field until i was 13 years old. but what led up to this natural talent that caused the teacher to compliment my work? so i began thinking; when i was very small, i always made up lil' scenarios with my toys and dolls. all my humanoid shaped toys had personalities, they had families, and went to school. but why did i do that? my parents were the ones who got me interested in reading; i have always been an avid reader. so i think that one solid reason i for why i write is that i like to read. then i had to come up with an event that discouraged me and turned me away from writing for a time. that took some more thought, and what i came up with was this: nobody seemed to take real interest in my writing after my junior high school english teacher, so i forgot about it. i suppose it was still in the back of my mind, but i didn't really pursue it like i could have.

and now, what got me back into writing? and the reason i came up with was this: i started hanging out with more artistic people. people like jessie, chris and especially joe (why especially joe? because he's the one with the unwavering enthusiasm for art). they loved to draw, and here's where this turns back into writing: compared to them, my drawings are crap. so i went back to writing. i wrote and they drew, we were gonna make it into a comic, but that ended up falling through. and in addition to that, i was encouraged to write again by my friends. of course there's still the doubt that they like my work because they're my friends, but hopefully i'll be able to overcome that. how? get other people to read my stuff and see if they like it, which is rather nerve-wrecking. so, why do i write? i write because i like to read. so i write what i like to read, and because i like other people to like to read what i write. nothing is better than when people say they like what i've written. now all i need to do is get my ass in gear and finish my story!!!