Why We Write

Why do we write? Sometimes I ask myself why. Like, why do I perform an art form where most of the results will never be seen by anyone but me? Why? Why not just read or find something more seemingly deserving of my time.
Because I have to.
I go through periods where the words won't come, where the worlds I create fall flat or my vision of a character fails to happen.
But I continue onward.
We write for the same reason the basketball player who has never gotten a basket continues to shoot the ball. We write the same way the swimmer practices their strokes day after day after day. We write the same way a singer sings the same note over and over again in a succession of melodies hoping to hit the right one.
Writing is a lifestyle that one does as often as they need. It's a need to put down words and a need to get the thoughts and questions we have out of our head.
Some need to write like they're running a marathon, others write like they're running out of time, or the last group writes so infrequently that you forget they partake in the hobby.
Every writer has a different view of it. But we all fall under the same umbrella. We're writers.