Hmm… how about an itemized list?
1. It’s fun!
2. I could give up dreams of being a writer easily enough. I just couldn’t give up on the actual WRITING.
3. Putting the escapist fantasies in my head into print is cheaper than renting or buying someone else’s.
4. I work until I drop and I live an hour’s drive from anywhere. I can’t think of anything else to do with my scant free time.
5. I could pour hours of lifetime into writing and not even notice the passage of time. The present job makes this something of an inconvenience, actually. I don’t care. See #1.
6. Figuring out how characters work actually helps me understand and cope with real people. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but real people are REALLY weird. Also, annoying.
7. I live almost entirely in my head. Writing gives me something tangible to show for it.
8. I’m probably never going to get back to college. But I can still be everything I ever wanted to be…for a few pages.