For me, it works like this; I always have a little voice in my ear narrating or telling me stories about strangers. So I write.Have written. Will continue to write.

Identity is a mixed bag for me.
I get pretty upset when people write their biases into their fiction without realizing it because I work really hard to be aware of how far I am writing outside my culture and experience. So when people take their own baggage for granted and get applauded it makes my blood boil. This was in the end, why I gave up on HP Fanfic. My skin just wasn't thick enough.