At one point, I had definite answers to this question. I studied aesthetic philosophy and psychology of narrative and rhetoric in college, and I'm still familiar with that list of answers: writing is an act of communication, theme is a persuasive didactic argument, character is an exploration of identity, plot is a survey of attitudes and methods, and content has to do with the audience's desires that don't get fulfilled by real life and the audience's craving for reassurance and to vicariously experience this or that emotion. But, at the current point in my life, I'm not actually interested in communicating with anyone or doing anything specifically for the benefit of an audience. Now I'm more interested in writing as a tool to organize my own thoughts and explore my subconscious, maybe find some personal meaning in the world. What do you all think?

Quote: Original post by sunandshadow
... at the current point in my life, I'm not actually interested in communicating with anyone or doing anything specifically for the benefit of an audience. Now I'm more interested in writing as a tool to organize my own thoughts and explore my subconscious, maybe find some personal meaning in the world.

Communicating with yourself is still communication. You're just writing for an audience of yourself. On the one hand, you may be your own worst critic. On the other, you know where she lives.

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What do you all think?

I try not to. It hurts.

I have plenty of problems, but fortunately being my own worst critic isn't one of them. But its true, I am sort of my audience. It's not quite the same as a regular audience because it's recursive or cyclical, I write for me but my own reactions cause edits and other changes, while an external audience rarely gets any input into the creation process. And, you can never really look at your own work the way someone else can because you can't help seeing all the intentions and background material that didn't go into the actual writing.

It can certainly be painful to think about it, but if you don't, how do you decide what you want to write?

Are you strictly talking about fiction writing?

Quote: Original post by Wai
Are you strictly talking about fiction writing?

Yes, or poetry, but not non-fiction.

The purpose of writing? I don't think there's any one purpose. At different times, I've written for different reasons. At one time, I wrote because I wanted to communicate ideas. At another time, because it was fun. After that, because I was able to put my head on paper. Now, I write because I have ideas.

Like you, I no longer have a definite answer to this question other than "life". I say "life" because, like art, it has no definite purpose. Our actions, the reason for living, the importance of acting morally, or individual suffering, there is no one reason, possibly none at all, for any of this. Literature is the ultimate example of this worthlessness. The human condition in printed form. Imperfect and futile, and yet we do it. Why?

Quote: Original post by sunandshadow
I have plenty of problems, but fortunately being my own worst critic isn't one of them. But its true, I am sort of my audience. It's not quite the same as a regular audience because it's recursive or cyclical, I write for me but my own reactions cause edits and other changes, while an external audience rarely gets any input into the creation process. And, you can never really look at your own work the way someone else can because you can't help seeing all the intentions and background material that didn't go into the actual writing.

All creative acts are forms of play. Actors play and their audience sees a story. (The audience also interacts, but that's another matter.)

A writer also plays games. The result of that play is a story. When you write for yourself, you can interact directly with the writer. The writer's audience rarely gets such direct interaction opportunities, although there is always some: you can never be sure exactly how your words will be interpreted in the minds of each individual reader, nor how it will affect them.

Why do we write? For the same reasons we play: to learn, to teach, or even just to pass the time.

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It can certainly be painful to think about it, but if you don't, how do you decide what you want to write?

I don't. My subconscious does the heavy lifting for me; I just edit, criticise and proof-read. And fix typos.

(99% of all my posts here on GDNet are entirely stream-of-consciousness. As soon as I stop typing, I tick the "Check here to include your profile signature" and click "Reply". If I spot a typo, I'll fix it, but I rarely bother with editing or even proof-reading. My typing is pretty accurate.)

I don't know whether this is considered fiction writing:

I used to keep a dream journal about my journey knocking on the door and converse with my subconscious. I think it is good that I don't do it anymore, but also good that I did it.

Translating abstract symbolism into a form concrete to the mind of the writer. A paper psychologist.

When I write, I shape the reality that I am writing along the contours of a conscious or subconscious mind. I then define that reality in a way quite similar to how I would define someones personality, covering mood, personality type, major memories, traits, the way they process information, and so forth. This parallel that I create allows me to approach the entire fictional reality on a level that is much more personal, which makes the nuances easier to remember.

Something that I have always considered interesting, is trying to do the inverse. Defining a person through a reality.

Quote: Original post by sunandshadow
What is writing for?
Now I'm more interested in writing as a tool to organize my own thoughts and explore my subconscious

That's a matter of how one learns and thinks. Some people learn, think, and organize their thoughts by talking. Some by reading. Some by listening. Some by using their hands.
I'm with you on this one - I learn, think, and organize by writing too.