Why I Write: Timothy Ferris on Writing to Learn
You also create. You're trying to make something original, beautiful, and true.
It's hard work. You're on your own, confronted with a blank page and the fathomless resources of language. Almost anything can be achieved on that page, from enlightening and exciting your readers to baffling and frustrating them. Artists working in other media may make excuses about tight budgets or bad sound or how the soprano had the flu, but writers have nowhere to hide. They get all the credit or all the blame. It's a tough gig, but if you pull it off, it can set you free.