I've always loved the physical act of writing, even though this is the modern version.
After spending many, many years on the internet, and quite a few of those in chatrooms, I finally burned out.
When my best friend introduced me to HP I was a bit reluctant. However, that reluctance vanished quickly when I saw how easy this is to do.
I love the fact that you can write about anything, and, echoing others, I've met some lovely people on here, so for me, it's a more sophisticated chatroom lol.
That you can earn money and hone your skills to boot is an absolute bonus, but not the reason I joined.