The "aching urge" to write

John Steinbeck

Novelist John Steinbeck once wrote, "The formula seems to lie solely in the aching urge of the writer to convey something he feels important to the reader."

We write, I suppose, for the same reason we talk — because we think we have something to say. Steinbeck uses the phrases "aching urge" and "something he feels important." These phrases seem to raise the stakes. They suggest that we feel compelled to say what we have to say. And it's not just important to us. It's important to others, as well.

This caused me to think about the various kinds of writing I have done in my life. Are Steinbeck's words true in these instances?

School essays and reports — What was most important here was the grade. The aching urge was more about satisfying the teacher or professor — producing the 100 words or eight pages or whatever was required by the assignment.

News stories — I was a newspaper reporter in my early professional life. Importance was a required for anything printed as news. The most important stories went on the front page and got a byline. But even minor inside stories were expected to have some importance to someone. The "aching urge," quite frankly, probably had more to do with keeping my job.

Editorials — I was an editorial page editor for much of my career. I wrote opinions, which in most cases were manufactured opinions. That is, I had to manufacture feelings about things I would not have otherwise cared much about. The best editorials I wrote, however, were those for which I felt Steinbeck's "aching urge."

Columns — I wrote many columns over the years, mostly book reviews but also columns of a more general kind, including many that were intended to be humorous. Many of these I wrote simply because I had to write them, yet quite often they were very important to me and I felt like I had something valuable to say.

Blog posts — For the first time, beginning more than 15 years ago, what I wrote was entirely optional. I wasn't being paid. Nobody could fire me or flunk me. Steinbeck's formula began to make more sense to me.

Sermons — For the past few years I have tried my hand at writing and often preaching sermons. Again this is optional, and yet I find myself writing what I feel compelled from something inside me to write, saying what I sense is important for someone else to hear.

Over the years I believe my writing has actually improved as it has become less a requirement and more an aching urge.