Why I Write

For those of you who don’t read comments, here is my response to a comment I received on last week’s edition. It came from Stephen Coquet, one of the very few regular readers who did not come to PSACOT by way of my personal acquaintance.

I responded, “Thank you for your kind words and continued interest. I appreciate the fact that you read the column, since, without readers, I'd just be talking to myself. I am humbled to hear you enjoy it as a letter from a friend; I have been a letter-writer all my life, and this is just a continuance of that habit. Bringing pleasure to others is a life goal. You are one of only a handful of readers who is not a life-long acquaintance. Thanks for that. It is nice to know I have obtained one reader on the merits of the column alone.

I have been writing essays since I was 12, and I expect to be writing one the day I die, many years from now. Other than music and family, writing is my life. I am grateful for so much in this life: my ability to express myself in this way is high on that list.”