Summary

In "Why I Don't Write," the narrator lists a series of reasons for not writing. The house is messy. Someone keeps asking her what she does "all day" (65). She gets distracted reading headlines, excerpts from articles. She tries cleaning. She feels sick. She walks around, eavesdropping. Someone asks her a series of questions. Her daughter is curt with her. She wanders around. Friends ask her to spend time. She checks her bank account. Someone asks what she is doing. Music plays. She walks "around the city" (68). Everyone is looking at their phones. She is hungry, has a headache. The only reason for writing is the need to write. She reads a book. She does a lot of cleaning. News reports and phone messages flood her space. She used to care about people. She used to have friends...