1. It makes me happy.
2. It gives me something positive to think about (those imaginary worlds).
3. It is fun.
4. It is creative.
5. It connects me to other people who enjoy being creative.
6. It makes me more aware of the world around me (so I can better describe people, places and situations).
7. It helps me to better understand the dynamics of the world around me since this is part of what I explore through fiction.
8. It helps to improve my language skills since I am constantly striving to express myself more clearly.
9. It makes me more curious since I am constantly looking for realistic complications for my stories.
10. It encourages me to learn new information since research is needed to add new dimensions to story lines other than what I already know.
11. It helps me to clarify for myself my perception of the world and the people in it.
12. It pushes me to read since I learn how to be a better writer by reading other writers’ work.
13. It gives me a purpose in the world, which is to celebrate the power of “story” in our lives.
14. It challenges me to face my own fears via my characters and the problems they face.
15. It challenges me to face my own fears of failure at not being a “successful” writer.
16. It helps me to redefine “success” and understand that writing is ultimately for my own growth. (The bonus would be if it actually sold and made money.)
17. It challenges me to get to work doing something I love.
18. It nourishes me precisely because it is an action I love.
19. I feel proud when I am actively writing a novel.
20. I feel proud to belong to a long line of writers over the centuries who have faced many of the same obstacles I face when staring at an empty page.
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