So, Why Do You Write?

Someone made the mistake the other day of asking me why I write.

Um.  What?

You don't ask a writer why they write unless you're prepared to get a hour-long reply!  ;)

I condensed my answer as best I could to one small paragraph, but I decided the best way to answer that question was to write a post about it.  Because I've never really thought about how to answer that question.

And it's going to be kind of hard to explain why I write without writing it.  ;)

The simplest way to say it is that I write because I have to.

No, I don't write because I'm forced to, or because my schooling requires it.  I've been writing since I was old enough to form letters into words that made sense--starting with sentences like "The fat cat sat on the rat at 2 AM."

I don't write because I enjoy writing essays and school papers....although I don't hate them as much as some people do.  ;)

I write because I need to.  I write because if I don't, my mind will be overrun with stories and scenarios and imaginings and I won't get any relief or satisfaction until I get some of it out somehow.

I write because I've been blessed with a very overactive imagination.  If I'm not writing something down on paper or on the screen, I'm writing something in my head--whether it be about fictional characters or my own life.

I write because I love words, and I love how there are so many of them in the English language.  One meaning or feeling or sight can be expressed in twenty different words.  I love how certain words sound; how they roll off my tongue.

I write because I can express myself way better (and more eloquently) in writing than I can in speech.  Words flow easily from my fingers, but not so easily from my mouth...I tend to trip over my own tongue at times.  :)

I write because though there are probably a thousand things that go unwritten from my brain, I want to say the things that are worth saying.

I write because writing may just be the way I impact the world.

I write because I can make anything out of nothing when I write.  I can pluck a memory from a dusty corner of my mind and turn it into a living, breathing person, with flaws, strengths, and an incredible story.  I can create a tale out of a single picture.

Sometimes writing is frustrating and exasperating and I feel like everything I write is stupid and not well-written.  Sometimes I get burnt out because what's in my head can't get out on paper the way I want it to, but that doesn't change the fact that it still lives on in my head.

I write because it thrills me to tell a new story, a story that was spun entirely from my own thoughts, something completely original.

And sometimes, I write because I have something to add to what's already been said.

I write because the desire to write has been imprinted into me since I was little.  There are some of us that God chooses before we are born to be writers.  We write better than we talk.  We start out small and then we blossom; we grow out.  We learn and discover and explore and our writing changes and grows and matures as we change and grow and mature.

I guess it all comes down to this: I write because from the start, I was supposed to.  I write because God's given me the desire and the knack for writing.  I write because I need to.

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All images via Pinterest

Psssttt!  Today is my lovely parents' anniversary!  I love these people, and I'm so glad they're my parents!  Happy Anniversary, Mama and Daddy!  :)

God bless you guys and have a great day!  :)

Joy :)