If a Tree Falls in the Woods...

A friend asked me a philosophical question today: Do writers write primarily for themselves, or do they write for someone else's benefit?


I have a strong opinion about this, and we discussed this question for quite some time.  I am going to assert my position later, but my friend's belief is that writers' primary motivation is to communicate, to pass on to others something they want to say, and that that is the whole point of writing.  If no one reads your writing, there is no point in having written.


When we finally had to get on with our separate afternoons, I told him I would poll my writer friends and let him know the results.  This is where you come in!


As with most polls, there's a whole lot wrapped up in the questions and answers, but I tried to make it as simple as possible.  Let's assume we are only talking about fiction and poetry.  The water gets murky very quickly, once we even start talking about the questions, let alone the answers.


Just two questions.  The first is your belief about most creative writers in general, while the second is the same question applied to yourself:









This is my first Poll Daddy poll, so I'm not sure how this works, but I did set both polls to allow commenting (good luck with that).  If all else fails, send me an email if you have other thoughts to share.


I'll post my own thoughts after allowing some time for response.  Thanks for your help!