Why do I write?

That is the single most hateful question to all writers. And the single most asked one. Let me tell you why I write once and for all so that I never have to answer that again. I write because I can. As simple as that. I have stories building up inside me until I'm ready to burst. If I refuse to sit down and develop and write them, they start stalking me. Day and night. While I drive, while I sleep, while I watch TV, until I can't think of anything else and I can't remember what I've done the last few days. The only way to get rid of them is actually sit down and write them. I also write because I want to entertain people. I want to make them smile (mostly), cry (sometimes), I want to inspire them, transport them somewhere else for a few hours, make them FEEL. And most importantly I write because it makes me happy. Even when I don't have anything to say and stare at the white screen for hours. The few words that come out eventually make me happy. Even editing makes me happy. Thinking of the perfect name of a character gets me as excited as a little girl on a marry-go-round. It's very hard to answer that question with a single sentence - especially to us writers who love to elaborate. But if I had to sum up in a sentence it would be this: I write because it's hard not to.