Writing is its own reward. It has to be, especially when you are self-published and unknown. Unless you are a celebrity, chances are no agent will ever touch you. Believe me, I've tried. I'm still trying, always trying. While writing, in itself, is a pleasure, I can honestly do without the rest of what an author must do. Quite frankly, preparing a packaged product and sending it to an agent, only to get a rejection form letter, is a waste of my time. Yet, I continue to do so.
So why write at all? Why bother? Simple, something drives me. I live a life of solitude which does not suit me at all. When I write, I can escape reality. There's a whole different world inside my head, and I like it there better. Writing is its own reward, and honestly, most days that's good enough.