Why Write? Finding Meaning Through Fiction and Getting Motivation to Write

Inspiration and motivation are imperative for writing. We all know this. That doesn't need saying now, does it? But where do we find that well of inspiration and motivation? And does it matter what well you drink from?

I would answer the last question with a resounding yes.

We largely live in a sea of meaninglessness, and now more than ever, fiction writers who are able to provide some precious meaning to their readers are going to be cherished in comparison to those who only provide shallow entertainment.

But people will always love to be entertained, so why not provide both! Meaning, wrapped up in an exciting and unique story.

Today, I want to help writer's discover their purpose. Why write?

• Why is a Purpose Important?

  • What is a Goal?

  • What is a Purpose?

• Benefits of Finding Your Purpose

  • Motivation to Write

  • A Clear Direction

  • Tap into a Deeper Level of Emotion

  • Connect to Your Audience

  • Help Heal the Industry of Its Deep-Rooted Narcissism

• Conclusion - Discovering Your Meaning

What is the importance of discovering your purpose for Writing Fiction?

Quick digression—The Last Kingdom was the best show on television.

The Last Kingdom - Netflix TV series

Why? Because the show addressed something that is so severely lacking in modern society. And its loss has nearly everyone in the West walking around in what psychoanalyst Viktor E. Frankl called the 'existential vacuum.'

That theme, that missing piece, is purpose.

The whole show centered around Destiny—A man's purpose and the meaning he can find in it. How tying himself to the purposes of others punishes him through the entire series, until he is able to finally say no to outside pressures and find contentment in his own drive toward building a legacy.

"Destiny is all!"

This is relevant to everyone from the writer to the bricklayer. A lot of research has been done on what having a clear purpose can do for a person to greatly improve their lives.

In the article, "The Power of Purpose," from Psychology Today, the author writes:

"...having a strong sense of purpose can have a powerful positive effect. When you have a sense of purpose, you never get up in the morning wondering what you’re going to do with yourself. When you’re ‘in purpose’ — that is, engaged with and working towards your purpose — life becomes easier, less complicated, and stressful. You become more mono-focussed, like an arrow flying towards its target, and your mind feels somehow taut and strong, with less space for negativity to seep in."

This is no different for writing fiction. What writer wouldn't want to become supercharged toward their goals and less vulnerable to writers block or burn out?

But hold on.

It can't be that easy, can it? And the answer is of course it is not. A person can't just decide one day that their life has some meaning and then become happy and productive. If it were that simple, we all would have done it already. Everyone would have finished that book or become a bestselling author.

Alas, that is not how the world works. Anything worth doing is hard and that is just a fact of life. Now, I don't want you confusing a purpose with goals. They are not the same thing.

So what's the difference between a purpose that brings meaning to your life and a regular goal?

There are a few key things to remember here:

What is a goal?

1. A goal is something you wish to achieve.

2. A goal can be big or small, important or trivial. A goal by itself doesn't automatically have some value attached to it. It just is.

3. A goal is transient. Whether you discard it or meet it and move on to a new one, goals are stepping stones to even larger goals.

That is just bare bones. I'm not going to go into good goals versus poor goals, because that is a long post. But...

What is a purpose?

1. A purpose is something you are meant to do. But it is not just an action, it is also a state of mind, an eye to the future. It is the person you want to become and the meaning you wish to discover.

2. A purpose is not small (though, it can be broken down into smaller, achievable goals). It is all encompassing. It is a meter by which to judge every action you take and decision you make, from waking up in the morning to writing that next epic novel.

3. A purpose is forever, though that is not to say it is unchanging. It is a process, a search for meaning that will last the rest of your life.

It should go without saying that the purpose you decide for yourself needs to bring your life unlimited amounts of meaning. It needs to be important to you—important enough to keep you going for the rest of your career (and life, better still).

Finding your purpose as a writer is going to be a long process and completely personal and unique to your career, goals, and values. I can't tell you what your purpose should be, but I can tell you some the perks of having one.

1. Easier to get going and stay going.

2. Gives you a clear direction for your career.

3. Allows you to tap into a deeper emotional place.

4. Forge a deeper connection with your audience.

5. Takes the narcissism out of writing.

Benefits of Finding Your Purpose

Finding your life's purpose can greatly benefit you as a fiction writer, infusing your work with depth, meaning, and authenticity.

When writers have a clear sense of purpose, it becomes a guiding force that drives their storytelling and imbues their characters and narratives with a profound sense of deeper meaning and emotional connection.

The pursuit of purpose also fosters a stronger connection between the writer and their craft, fueling motivation, perseverance, and a genuine desire to make a positive impact through their words. Ultimately, by intertwining their life's purpose with you fiction, you can not only fulfill your own aspirations but also create transformative and influential narratives that touch the lives of others.

Motivation to Write

When you have a purpose, you are ready and excited to work toward your goals.

Too many writers place all their writing's value on the published book. It is as if all the words they worked so hard to put on the page are meaningless until they've signed that contract or met a particular sales goal.

This is a crying shame. Because the act of writing a novel is a struggle. Even if it's written with only entertainment in mind or even poorly done, it remains an achievement to have completed it at all.

These writers quickly get disheartened by the realities of publishing and marketing, and sales. Some never write again.

But the same cannot be said for the writer with purpose. The act of writing itself needs to hold some meaning to you. Value the process, not the result.

For instance, when I wrote Todd, a short story for The Beginning and End of All Things anthology, I did so as a means to discover something that bothered me. To explore if it were possible to find meaning in meaninglessness, hope in hopelessness. How to forgive ourselves.

If no one ever reads the story, it will still be an accomplishment of my own growth—something I will always be proud of, made during a dark time in my life.

A purpose is something that you can hold onto when times get tough. In fact, rough times may help you discover and solidify your purpose by helping you distinguish what is essential (adds meaning you your life) and what is chaff (doesn't add meaning to your life).

That is why "making sales" or "getting published" tend to be lame goals for writing.

They are contingent on the end, not the means, and the end is often contingent on good times. If you freak out when life gets in the way of pursuing your goals, you may want to take a step back and ask yourself if they are worth having. A purpose should integrate all areas of your life and provide meaning in all situations, not just one.

A purpose motivates you to write, even when everything seems to be against you.

A Clear Direction

We are all stuck in a dark room.

Wandering about—feeling our way around for something solid to tell us where we are, give us some clue about where to go next.

A purpose is like a lantern. It doesn't illuminate the whole room—just the small space around you—but it is enough to get an idea of your surroundings and make better decisions about your next move.

In this way, you slowly make your path around the room and maybe even outside into the light.

Those without purpose are doomed to stumble around for the rest of their lives, perhaps stumbling to the exit, but most will not find it.

This is the author of The Pursuit of Meaning, written in 1968, Joseph B. Fabry's metaphor, not mine. And even he got it from a chemist he met after his seminar in the San Fransisco area. But it is an apt one for life. It makes me think of the book, Blindness by José Saramago.

When a strange blindness infects the entire population, people must relearn to navigate the world. Everyone fumbles around, and humanity falls, losing themselves along the way. Except for the Doctor's Wife (her name in the story), the only person left still able to see. Only she can hold onto a glimmer of herself and prevent the people she loves from total despair.

When you have purpose, you feel confident in your direction. You know who you are, who you want to become, where you are going, and understand where you have been.

It brings meaning to everything you do in the day.

I tell authors and clients to solidify their story's theme as soon as the first draft is done. In editing, cut or fix anything that does not connect to that central point—the question your story attempts to answer.

This makes your story stronger, cohesive, usually mends some plot holes, and makes a longer-lasting impact on your reader.

Your purpose is the central theme of your life. If a god were to review your entire existence from birth to death after you died, this is the single impression he/she/it would come away with.

A purpose leaves no doubt about which direction you need to go next.

Tap into a Deeper Level of Emotion

We have talked about a purpose being all-encompassing, integrated into everything you do. That, naturally, includes your writing.

But that means every word you type into the computer also has meaning. Writing becomes a very reflective and thoughtful process. It requires that you look at it honestly and approach topics, characters, and plot points with authenticity, not just to make them cool.

There is no other result that can come from this than deeply expressive writing.

A purpose makes thinking deeper the default—allowing you to tap into something more profound.

Connect to Your Audience

When you write toward a purpose, you tap into something personal and meaningful. But what is meaningful to you is bound to be meaningful to others. Some readers will relate, and you will hit them at their core.

But be warned: Not all readers will connect. Some may even hate you for your honesty, as is true in life. Those who do connect, however, will become loyal fans.

To write is to reach out to someone else for understanding and shared meaning. Authors put themselves deliberately into a vulnerable position, presenting their very thoughts for criticism on a mass scale.

I think this might even be an underlying perpetuator of the poor state of mass market genre fiction. If you write something that exists only for itself and doesn't reflect any of you, the criticism can only cut so deep. We can improve our storytelling skills, and we can learn to write clearer—better.

But criticism aimed at what drives you, what makes you you. At the values and perspectives you hold dear....that cuts to the bone.

Though it is a gratifying experience too. The fans who love your work and relate will not just be fans but love you and move mountains for you. Who knows whose life you can change by presenting your search for meaning to the world?

A purpose bonds author and reader through shared experience and meaning—magnifying and clarifying it.

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Help Heal the Industry of Its Deep-Rooted Narcissism

In the words of Viktor E. Frankl again:

"Meaning must be discovered, it cannot be invented."

There are books which seem meaningless that exist only for the sake of themselves. (that might be the tenth time I've said that in this post...)

Our fiction books have gone the way of sex in the last few decades. We no longer use them to create or to strengthen the bonds of humanity but to seek pleasure and discard it once it has fulfilled its duty.

Forgive me for how I am about to state this:

Modern books are like masturbating on your reader. You see that sales report or royalty check and get a jolt of euphoria, then it retreats until the subsequent "encounter."

Authors may very well say that they love their readers; they just want to "entertain" them like they are doing it all for the reader's pleasure. But I have come to realize over the years that this is not often true.

These authors don't care about their readers' wants and needs. If they did, they would be providing an entertaining story and meaning. They would be vulnerable with them.

But no.

They merely want the reader to stroke their....egos. Buy, buy, buy.

Now, if you have held on to this point in the article, I'm sorry because I'm about to make some people very angry.

Nowhere is this narcissism more apparent than in the writers who seek to make the world a "better place."

The authors who scream for diversity, inclusion, sensitivity readers, and trigger warnings. This type of writer is totally consumed with moral positioning and posturing—by forcing upon the reader some ideal, invented meaning. They often miss the mark on providing any real (and therefore relatable) meaning that rings true to anyone not also trying to invent it.

...Because they are so unwilling to face the real struggles in their own life. Their own failings with any honesty.

These writers not only want to masturbate on their readers but why want the reader to pat them on the head and tell them how great they are too.

It's pride to the Dante's Inferno degree.

This is why, even if seemingly contradictory, writers can fend off their own narcissism by writing about and for themselves. When your work has personal meaning and is a vehicle for finding, exploring, and healing in your life, it does not ask anything of anyone else but you.

It keeps you accountable to honesty and responsibleness.

I will end this section with a quote from Frankl's book, The Unheard Cry for Meaning:

"Modern literature need not remain just another symptom of the mass neurosis of today. It can as well contribute to the therapy. Writers who themselves have gone through the hell of despair over the apparent meaninglessness of life can offer their suffering as a sacrifice on the altar of humankind. Their self-disclosure can help the reader who is plagued by the same condition, help him in overcoming it." —pg. 102

Conclusion - Discovering Your Meaning

All that sounds great, but that doesn't help anyone actually discover what their purpose is to reap those benefits in the first place.

From what research I have done on the topic, I've figured out that life does provide clues that point us in the direction of our purpose or life's meaning, whatever you want to call it. The main in my life (because that is all I really have to draw from) are these three things:

#1

Areas of growth that I need to work on—for me that was putting in the effort to figure out why certain relationships in my life failed. Digging into decisions I have made in the past and really analyzing why I made them and the consequences of them.

#2

Suffering—I don't care who you are, you have suffered for something. These times of pain and trauma often reveal to us who we truly are. Being able to confront those moments and express them in our fiction can be profound, not only for you but also the reader.

#3

Things that piss you off—Maybe not the first thing people think of when they are searching for their purpose in life.

But I believe that when something upsets us whether it be the government making bad economic policies, or writers not portraying the human experience authentically, there is a clue there. We care about that thing for some reason. Which means it holds some meaning to us.

If it didn't, it wouldn't bother us.

I'm not saying that you novels need be moralizing pieces of self-aggrandizement. In fact, I think that is a major problem in the industry today as explained. The above are just some things that played a large role in my own life when I discovered my purpose for writing.