Quote:
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"Writing is a form of personal freedom. It frees us from the mass identity we see in the making all around us. In the end, writers will write not to be outlaw heroes of some underculture but mainly to save themselves, to survive as individuals.” ~ Don Delillo
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I really love this quote. There are probably a lot of different answers to the questions posed. Human beings need meaning in order to stay physically and mentally healthy. Don't ask me why. The universe is basically meaningless, so we have no recourse but to create our own meaning. That's it in a very general sense.
More specifically, the creation of fiction is a purposeful act. I wouldn't say it's always about having a sense of order and control, as I don't think that's always the case. Rather, it's about certainty. The real world is full of uncertainties--what death means probably being the most prominent. There's also life, meaning, freedom, and responsibility--the big existential movers. Creative fiction is a way to address those kinds of questions, mostly for ourselves, but also for the audience.
We live our life and have a continuity of consciousness, a stream of experiences. It's referred to as a personal narrative because we organize it in a story-like format. All of our important and meaningful experiences go into the narrative. There are theories out there that posit that because of the personal narrative, we structure the majority of our fiction in the form of narratives.
People experience meaning through other people, through their work, through their religion/spirituality, and through their fictional media. I would posit that fictional media can have just as profound an effect on a person's values and beliefs as their religion/spirituality does.
For me personally, I write because it is as much a part of who I am as my introverted personality type is. I have, in the past, gone an entire year without writing anything. During that time I still was constantly coming up with ideas and storylines, even if I never wrote them down.
The process of creativity is the important thing for me. In one sense, I wouldn't care if I never got published in any form because I'm creating for myself more than anything. At the same time, intellectually I know that's bullocks because without an exchange of ideas, there's only meaning for me. Creative fiction is as much a collaboration between the creator and the audience as it is just a work by the creator.