Why write?

After reading everyone else's blogs, I can see that we all hold similar ideas as to the importance of writing as a means of effective communication amongst humankind. I agree with the general impressions of everyone else. I guess my answer to the question, 'why write?' would be because I feel it is the clearest and most coherent way of expressing our ideas, feelings, or sentiments. I also agree with the quote we talked about in class, and the idea of writing being a revision of inner thoughts. I know for myself that as soon as I write something on paper I immediately feel the need to revise or correct it. I often find that when I try to write down my thoughts, they seldom come out on paper the way I feel they should to adequately express my thoughts. Through writing I can revise and edit to make the written words accurately represent the thoughts I am trying to share. I also find that when I write it helps me think things through to an extent I may not have otherwise. For example, often during an essay exam I will start to write and argue one point, but then as I go on I realize that I may not agree with what I originally advocated, or I find I am making a stronger argument for the opposite side. For some reason seeing the words on paper is stronger to me than just hearing them out loud. I guess writing somehow, unintentionally leads me explore thoughts and ideas that I otherwise would not have uncovered had I not began writing. Finally, before I finish, I was reading Dostoyevsky's Notes From Underground and coincidentally came upon the sentence "Writing things down is a bit like work and I've heard work makes people good and honest!" I do feel that writing makes us honest, especially with ourselves. Whether it is facing truths about ourselves we never confronted, or further investigating ideas we have never explored, writing allows us to find honesty in ourselves and possibly the world around us.