We should write because writing brings clarity and passion to the act of living. Writing is sensual, experiental, grounding. We should write because writing is good for the soul. We should write because writing yields to us a body of work, a felt path through the world we live in. Anton Chekhov advised actors, "If you want to work on your acting, work on yourself." This same advice applies to working on our writing. Our writing life, our life "as a writer," cannot be seperated from our life as a whole. Start where you are. It's a luxury to be in the mood to write. It's a blessing but it's not a necessity.

Julia Cameron, The Writer's Life - Insights from 'The Right to Write'.