Why Do You Write?
6:00 AM
I GOT A TWITTER! I know it's been ages. Everyone told me I needed to get one, but I was so lazy and I didn't do it. And finally I randomly downloaded the app and made an account. So you should go wave at me so I can follow you and we can be buddies! YAY!
Anyway. On twitter (which I like very much, by the way. the character limit generates a delightful aura of sass that I thrive on) I was tagged by the lovely Audrey Caylin in a thread that asked the question, "Why do you write?"
I skimmed through old responses and found most everyone had lovely thoughts to share. They had well rounded, short summaries that captured the essence of why they wrote. I sat there for a while, trying to figure out why I was having a hard time answering.
Why do I write?
Is that a bad thing? Maybe. I may not be able to say firmly why I write. That's partly because the reason I write changes as I do. When I first started writing, it was because I was bored. I kept writing because I was determined to finish--and I found out just how fun it was. And I write today because I have so many things I want to share. So many ideas and hopes and dreams. I've discovered ways to see the world--to live and breathe in it--and I want to share that. It's this desire bursting up from within me.
How do I just keep all that inside?
I think that's something important to remember. Sometimes we cling to things that we don't really need anymore. We know they mattered at one point. We know we needed them at a time in our lives, for that time of our lives.
But you outgrow more than just clothes.
And I'm not saying that you'll outgrow writing. I know I won't. But the reasons I write? I didn't even realize it could happen when I first started. I didn't have a clue what it would become to me. How I would use it to help myself, and hopefully others.
Don't be afraid to change and grow. Just because you're changing doesn't mean the old has to be done away with.
But why does it matter, anyway? Why does it matter why we write?
It matters because when things get hard, you're going to need a reason to stay. If I didn't write because it meant something to me, I wouldn't have made it five chapters into draft 2 of either of my current projects. Those would be wrecks, abandoned and never to be looked upon again.
But writing does matter to me. Deeply. So I pushed through the hard times. I pushed through the agonizing hours of editing, through the late nights and blurry eyes and sore wrists and throbbing head. I suffered through the doubts and fears and insecurities because I knew it would all be worth it to me in the end.
And it was. It has all been worth it.
Take a moment to think about why you write. Write it down. Put it somewhere you can easily access it. That way, when the edits are heavy, when you feel like you're out of ideas or your writing will never be good enough, you can look at the heart of why you do what you do and gain the strength to press on. Because when we do what we love because we love it, the doubts and fears lose their power against us.
Why do you write? Do you write now for the same reason you wrote back when you started?
But you outgrow more than just clothes.
And I'm not saying that you'll outgrow writing. I know I won't. But the reasons I write? I didn't even realize it could happen when I first started. I didn't have a clue what it would become to me. How I would use it to help myself, and hopefully others.
Don't be afraid to change and grow. Just because you're changing doesn't mean the old has to be done away with.
But why does it matter, anyway? Why does it matter why we write?
It matters because when things get hard, you're going to need a reason to stay. If I didn't write because it meant something to me, I wouldn't have made it five chapters into draft 2 of either of my current projects. Those would be wrecks, abandoned and never to be looked upon again.
But writing does matter to me. Deeply. So I pushed through the hard times. I pushed through the agonizing hours of editing, through the late nights and blurry eyes and sore wrists and throbbing head. I suffered through the doubts and fears and insecurities because I knew it would all be worth it to me in the end.
And it was. It has all been worth it.
Take a moment to think about why you write. Write it down. Put it somewhere you can easily access it. That way, when the edits are heavy, when you feel like you're out of ideas or your writing will never be good enough, you can look at the heart of why you do what you do and gain the strength to press on. Because when we do what we love because we love it, the doubts and fears lose their power against us.
Why do you write? Do you write now for the same reason you wrote back when you started?
<3
10 comments
AAAHHHH I LOVE THIS!!! I write for slightly different reasons-now, I write with more of a mission than instead of just for fun.
ReplyDeleteMicaiah @ Notebooks and Novels
Same! I think the reason that may be is because once you get deeper into what writing is, you start to realize just how much power it has. At that point, how can it not become a mission? :)
DeleteAt first, I started writing (around ten?) simply because I liked reading so much so why not try to write novels? Now, it's more because I want to see people like me in a published book.
ReplyDeleteAw <3 That's a good way to start! I'm glad you've stuck with it.
DeleteThis was beautifully written. I've always been a writer, I feel lost without a pen in my hand, but never really thought about why I am the way I am. Your post made me think about it and now I realize I used to write because I felt no one would listen to me if I talk. Now I write my blog to tell the stories most people overlook. I guess story telling will always be a big part of my life :)
ReplyDeletex Envy
Lost in Translation
Aw, that's so lovely and beautiful! Thank you for sharing your thoughts! <3
DeleteI've changed so much through the years. I'm not sure I know quite why either, but I want to write stories that affect people or help them.
ReplyDeleteYes <3
Delete(I've been considering a twitter as well...maybe for next year, though. Let me get this blogging thing down a little better...)
ReplyDeleteI don't even remember when I first started writing. Since I was little, I was scribbling on paper and announcing it to be "a story." I would draw pictures that told stories. I would make little books, and fill notebooks with horse adventures. And once I got my first laptop, it just continued from there...
I write now mostly because it is relaxing. Life can be stressful, but that hour or so before bed, where I can just listen to some music and craft stories...it's relaxing, calming, de-stressing.
I write because I love telling and sharing stories. Because I love reading, and I want others to have books they love to read as well. Because there is a lack of good, clean books out there. Because God has given me a love for writing, and I want to grow it and make it better.
Lol yes, it certainly is a time commitment! And yes to all your reasons for writing, especially those last two! The world needs cleaner books that people can go to for entertainment. Hopefully along the way, they'll see God's love and grace in the pages.
DeleteComments bring us happiness and warm fuzzies, so please share your thoughts! Stan and I want everyone to be welcome, so we ask that you be kind and courteous and use nice language.