Personal motives of most expository writers are very practical. In school situations, for example, the writer wants to pass the course, get a good grade, graduate, and get a good job.

Such writing is a means to an end, a practical preparation for the future. Surveys of college graduates, years afterward, usually show that people claim that their "most important" or their "most useful" college course was their English composition class, even though most students at the time were forced into taking it.

Writing is a chore for most people. It's difficult, time-consuming, and often frustrating. It's not easy to write well.

Alas, few schools demand much writing or give much training in it.-- $$$ -- It's very costly to provide, so most colleges pay lip service: have large classes and hire part-time instructors. There's constant faculty-administration friction over these budget issues.

The means (how to write) vary widely: many good composition textbooks exist, each suggesting different means. But, the ends are fairly common: good writing skills benefit both the individual and society.

Writing helps us to clarify our thinking. We all have vague ideas about many topics, but only when we have to put them in writing do we realize that our thinking is not always clear or coherent.

On an individual basis, if we are going to succeed in our own goals, communication skills will help us personally.

On a global scale, if we are going to feed, house, and clothe several billion people on earth, we need effective businesses managed by competent people with good communication skills.

Stamina and endurance are needed for any sustained effort. We know that physical skills need sustained effort and practice.

Yet we often expect that intellectual skills are easy and effortless, or that we can just "sit down and write." Not true.

Writing demands effort and practice over a long period. We need stamina and endurance, which in turn demand commitment, willpower, desire, and motivation.

If you don't have these now, you have to get them. Period. Don't kid yourself: that's your responsibility.