Why Writers Write

Following up on Sunday's post about time to write, I went to the Guardian Unlimited's "Why I Write" interviews to see how other writers cope. I discovered that Maeve Binchy, for instance, gets to her study each morning by 8:30, Philip Pullman fills "three sides of narrow-lined A4 paper" and then stops, and Beryl Bainbridge's habits changed as her children grew up. And granted, these people all make their money writing, but it's still interesting to read.

One thing puzzled me, though. They asked each writer how he or she dealt with the solitude of writing. I thought, doesn't every writer like solitude? Or am I wrong? I thought there was one way to find out:

Poll: How do you feel about the solitary nature of writing?

1)   I crave solitude, and enjoy this aspect of writing.

2)   Sometimes it bothers me, but I enjoy writing once I get going.

3)   This aspect of writing is my biggest challenge.