J.D. Salinger, the iconoclast and recluse writer, world famous for his 1951 novel "The Catcher in the Rye" just passed away at 91.  I don't know if most American schools still have it as part of their high school curriculum, but growing up everyone I knew had to read "The Catcher in the Rye".  It was a seminal novel that accurately captured the mind-set of a sensitive 16 year old and his disdain for all the "phonies" in his world.  It was one of the first and best novels of its time to capture the disaffected youth that rejected all the values of their parent's generation.

One of the most fascinating aspects of J.D. Salinger's life was his choice to go into seclusion and shun all public life after the fame and success of "The Catcher in the Rye."  He said that he only wanted to "write for myself."  That got me to thinking about what motivates most writers and artists?.  Do they create for themselves?  Do they create to connect to others?  Do they seek feedback or acclaim?  Do they create to earn a living?  Obviously it is a different combination for each person.

Comparing the different poker bloggers out there, you see different motivations as well.  Some write a sort of personal diary to capture the happenings and thoughts of their lives.  Some write to gain feedback and input from their audience.  Some write sensationally to entertain and grow an audience.  Some write to educate, inform, and stimulate their audience.  When I examine my motivations, I can see every one of those motivations entering my considerations.  But maybe I'm not a true writer, like J.D. Salinger, because I don't think I would blog if no one ever read it.  I spend plenty of time alone in my own head, that I enjoy the occasional opportunity to connect to something outside of myself.  If J.D. Salinger had grown up in the age of blogging, I wonder if he might have found a more comfortable balance between anonymity, seclusion and the desire to write for an audience other than himself.