You wouldn't think it from reading novels like '1984' and 'Animal Farm', but apparently when George Orwell was a kid he wanted to be the kind of writer who would use "purple prose" and write "enormous novels with unhappy endings". Clearly things didn't turn out exactly that way (except for maybe the unhappy ending part...), and in his seminal essay 'Why I Write', we find out why Orwell ended up with different plans and a different philosophy for his career as a professional author. He lays out 4 primary motives for any author, and concludes that out of all motives there is one that matters the most both for himself and for (he thinks) everyone else who treats writing seriously. Let's see if you agree!

TIMESTAMPS:
03:35 Key idea 1: Childhood experiences are key to shaping authorial motives
07:19 Key idea 2: Every author is (or should be) politically motivated

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