No 'write' answer.

"Why write?" It is a heavy question.
I recently found this quote by the English dramatist W. Somerset Maugham: "We do not write because we want to; we write because we have to." This is an accurate assessment for those of us whose personalities and idiosyncrasies dictate that for us to live is to write, to write to live. However, it seems to me, that for those who do not suffer the same disease, there must be a more compelling, utilitarian reason to write.
Some have mentioned preservation or immortality as a viable reason. I personally agree, but there are those who would prefer to sink into obscurity and non-remembrance. Others have posited that writing is cathartic, that it gives focus and provides a channel for emotions. Again, for me this is true, but then there are those for whom catharsis is achieved through exercise, eating, talking, or some hobby. Many other reasons to write have been suggested, but likewise, they seem to fall short of universality. Even the suggestion that I made in class, that we write to be understood, seems not to apply to everyone, because there are many independent people in this world who don't give a damn about being understood.
As much as we would like a correct answer or a comprehensive argument, maybe there isn't one. Maybe no one can be told why to write. Our reasons for writing are as personal as our writings themselves. We must each discover our own answer to the question, "Why write?". Whether this theory will inspire a room full of half-asleep ninth graders to find their voices and realize the power of the written word remains to be seen, but for me it is answer enough.