Funny you should say that... I hated it, too! I think part of the reason why I enjoy it so much now is because of computers and programs like WORD... I don't get writer's cramp, I can use a program to make some drawings, I can easily fix errors, spell checker tries to keep me honest, and I never have to use "white-out" liquid or tape.

Why do I write? To be sure, I couldn't do what you do, Steve... I couldn't write a "daily" something. But, I write for the same reason you do and for the same reason I like programming... the research to write a technical article on something is not unlike doing the research to write a stored procedure or script. In fact, for the type of articles I write on SSC, the two are joined at the hip. During the research, I try different things out, check other folks methods (and frequently learn something in the process), do performance tests, and a whole bunch of other things that I actually enjoy doing. That research has actually paid off for me at work on many occasions... and sometimes, it's the other way around. Sometimes, I have to do some research or write some "trick" code for work, and later decide that it might make a good article.

Then, the discussions that follow the article are the best... some folks jump in with their own test code, others with alternatives/suggestions/improvements, some with some stats of before and after they tried what was in the article, some "side-bar" discussions, and some just saying "Thanks". I always learn something from those discussions... always.

I'm also a teacher/mentor at heart... I love to see "lightbulbs" come on. 🙂 I especially love it when someone comes back with a success story about something I may have taught them or how they "warped" an idea from an article or post to fit their particular needs. As an "author", there's not much of a better feeling you can get than from something like that.

Writing isn't limited to articles, either. I love the idea of technical forums like SSC. There's a huge number of participants from all over the world and everyone of them gets a chance to "say" or show something without interruption, but still having the ability to participate in dialog. Not only do you get to see "lightbulbs" come on, but others share their ideas and sometimes the "lightbulb" that comes on, is your own. That spurs me to write more on individual posts as kind of a "thanks" to everyone I've learned from. 🙂

Last, but not least... it all keeps my skills in T-SQL razor sharp...