8 Reasons Why I Write

I’ve been using my imagination ever since I could remember. The reasons why I decided to turn my imagination into books may seem weird to some, but writers are weird anyway, right? So here are the 8 reasons why I write.

1. It’s a hobby It’s a calling

When I was still in kindergarten, our teacher would tell us a story once a day. I tended not to listen. It’s not that Cinderella, for instance, was not interesting; it’s solely because as the narration went on, I kept wondering what if it didn’t happen like that - what if Cinderella was the evil sister? 

So I started making up stories for my friends. A couple of years forward, I wrote the stories down. I’ve always been a writer and I probably always will be. Even when my wings were torn down and I gave up writing in high school, I kept a diary, because writing gave my days meaning. I write in every opportunity I get, whether it is a novel, a blog post, Instagram captions or journals. I just can't stop writing.

2. It makes sense

Fact: We can't choose what makes us happy. Whenever I put down my pen, or whenever I hit save on a word document, the strange fulfillment I get is worth every rollercoaster I go through in my journey to becoming an author. I've been writing my entire life, and in the furthest of futures, I can only visualize myself in my home office, writing for a living.

I keep saying writing makes me happy, but as you see being happy is not one of the reasons why I write. It's fulfilling in different way. The kind of way that if you take it away from me I might probably stop breathing.

In a short life of dreams and anticipation and learning and growing older with each day, writing is the only thing that makes sense to me. It's the only thing that keeps me going. That helps me get up in the morning. I don't know what I'd do if writing is ever taken away from me. I guess I'd stop being me.

3. I express myself

Being an introvert (and mostly shy), it has always been difficult for me to make friends, ask directions when I’m lost, order pizza over the phone etc. I’ve tried various forms of fine arts to get my feelings and thoughts out. And after 26 years of life, it’s safe to say that only writing has truly helped me express myself. 

4. I can communicate with people

Writing and potentially publishing my work helps me communicate with other people. Either that means communicating with people I will probably never meet, or just communicating with other people without even having to talk to them (introvert power).

5. It opens my mind

A highschool professor once told me that people who write see the world a slightly differently than the rest. The way I see it, a writer has to be the reader and the character at the same time. So if there are 20 characters involved in a story, I should be 22 people at the same time. That would either drive someone crazy or help them look at things from different points of view. Trying to figure out how other people might conceive the same situation helps open to new aspects I hadn't considered before writing the book.

6. I discover myself

Partly related to the previous one. In and of itself, writing is a challenge. Writing a good story is not as easy as many think it is. Many times I feel like the plot inside my head is way too complicated and it would be better for everyone if it just stayed there. When it comes to outlining, drafting, editing, revising, polishing and publishing, a writer has to put a great amount of time and energy in what they do, in order not only to put the words in a paper, but to also make sense and be compelling at the same time. And usually all these have to happen while working full time, because most of us, you know, need to eat sometimes. And that's a whole new challenge altogether. It goes without saying that challenges help us discover other sides of ourselves.

7. Personal gain (kind of)

My reward is creativity, immersion, and flow. Perhaps my name will never be as huge as Stephen King’s. I bet I won’t even make it to the Top 10 Best Sellers. Honestly, I don’t care. That’s not my purpose. My aim is to touch the hearts of people who read my stories; give them something to think about. If 1 person in the whole world read a story of mine and gained something from it, I’d have succeeded. I’d feel accomplished.

8. It keeps me healthy

There are a couple of things I do daily (every day with no exceptions) to boost my mental health. One of those is exercise, of course, and the other, you guessed it, is writing. Writing is my number one go-to whenever I struggle with negative thoughts, whether that be self-doubt, or even anxiety. No matter how big or small the issues are, I've learned to deal with them by writing them down. I practise writing fiction every single morning before anything else, and journaling every Sunday just to get in touch with the thoughts and emotions I might have suppressed throughout the week.

I once read something along the lines of "Give a mad person paper and a pen, you’ll get a writer. Take away the writing, you’re only left with a mad person." This phrase sums up everything.

Do you write? What are the reasons you write?

#writer #passion #writing