David Suissa wrote a column in the Jewish Journal entitled “Why Do I Write?” He has not stopped writing since Sept. 7, 2006.
He said, “I wrote that first column, titled ‘Welcome to the Hood,’ on a whim, having no clue it might turn into a weekly gig that would keep going and going … and going. I just kept writing.”
David is also Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the Jewish Journal. He manages the publication’s overall direction and oversees its content along with writing a weekly column. I pity the poor man for how much he must get done each week.
Similarly, decades ago, Rob Eshman, then editor, asked me to write something for The Journal. Aside from writing stand-up comedy and a play when I was 12 years old, I never wrote anything like a column before. It never crossed my mind. After writing a few for Rob, I stopped.
After taking over The Journal, David gave me a call and talked to me about a story I wrote about my father, how moved he was by it and how it inspired him to write. He then asked me to write something. Since that call, I’ve been writing a biweekly column for more than a decade.
Writing for the Jewish Journal has neither made me rich nor made me famous or sought after by national papers. What it has done is give me enormous pleasure, confidence and satisfaction, while also making me a better writer. That ain’t chump change. I even wrote a five-star-reviewed and published book, “Why Not? Lessons on Comedy, Courage and Chutzpah.”
So why do I write?
1. I write to stick it to my teachers who told me I would probably amount to very little.
2. I write because if my parents returned, they would be very happy I succeeded at something I enjoyed.
3. I write because it’s amazing to see these ideas come out of me and to shape a story like a sculptor shapes a piece of clay.
4. I write because it’s so good for my mind.
5. I write because people tell me how much they enjoy my writing.
6. I write to prove to myself that I am not stupid.
7. I write because it’s fun.
8. I write because I enjoy the solitude it allows me to bask in.
9. I write because I get to go into a writer’s trance, and when I wake from it, I am amazed at how much time flew by and how much I have accomplished.
10. I write because God gave me a gift, and it’s wrong not to use the gift that God gave me.
11. I write because it’s hard.
12. I write to hopefully make this a better world.
13. I write to let people know that they are not alone.
14. I write because it lets me understand that I am not alone.
15. I write because my family is proud of me.
16. I write to prove I can write without using four-letter words.
17. I write because I am amazed that every time I think I am out of ideas, God tosses me a fresh one.
18. I write to find out about myself and what makes me tick.
19. I write to gain empathy.
20. I write to say I am sorry for things that may have hurt someone.
21. I write because I like to be thought of as a writer.
22. I write because I enjoy talking with other writers.
23. I write because I make myself laugh when I write something funny.
24. I write because I am touched when I write honestly, and it’s the only place I allow myself to cry.
25. I write because I never, ever thought I could do it.
26. I write because I did not go to Yale or Harvard.
27. I write for clarity.
28. I write because … why not?
29. I write to even the score.
30. I write because nobody tells me what to write.
31. I write to stay healthy.
32. I write because my heart has things to disclose to me and others.
33. I write because I have no reason not to.
Why do you do what you do?
Mark Schiff is a comedian, actor and writer and hosts, along with Danny Lobell, the “We Think It’s Funny” podcast. His new book is “Why Not? Lessons on Comedy, Courage and Chutzpah.”
