Why Do You Write?
A few days ago, I read a blog posting asking the question, “why do you write?”
The question isn’t too difficult for me to answer. In fact, it is more difficult for me to narrow it down to one answer.
I started writing in a journal my mother gave me at age 13 around 1998. It was a period of my life that I desperately needed to release my thoughts somewhere. I wrote a ton of stuff in that journal but got nervous and destroyed it. I didn’t want anyone to know any of my deepest and darkest secrets and thoughts.
Years later, 2011, I started keeping a journal again. I began to keep up with all of my thoughts, ideas, hopes, dreams, fears, fails and successes. In that same year, just before the year wrapped up, I began to blog as well. I now write in a journal by pen and paper and I blog online. I’ve been blogging for two years now and thankfully contributing as well.
So, why do I write?
I write for three reasons:
I love telling stories.
I enjoy using words to help people.
I get an excitement out of communicating in story mode.
A few months ago, I could hear the Lord telling me, “you’re a writer, you’re a writer.” Not long after, He was telling me, “keep writing, keep writing.”
All the more, another reason plus more to keep writing.
With all that being said, why do you write? And if you blog, why do you blog?
Posted on October 26, 2013, in On Blogging and tagged 13, 1998, 2001, author, blog, blogger, blogging, Book, Books, create, creative, daydream, daydreaming, develop, developer, dreams, Goals, journal, journaling, journalism, reason, reasons, share, Stories, story, storyline, storyteller, teen, teenager, telling, why do you write, write, writer, Writing. Bookmark the permalink. 24 Comments.
Mind's Seat 
Thanks for sharing. I write because I believe that is one of the ways I best communicate. It gives me time to gather my thoughts and backspace when I need to correct how things come out. I still desire to get better with on the spot verbal communication, but writing is more fun for me.
I enjoy blogging to share with and learn from the diverse group of readers, writers and bloggers in this community.
Thanks for sharing!!!!
That’s a good question – I suspect everyone writes for so many different reasons but for me it’s an expression, it’s an observation of life but above all because it’s enjoyable and with chronic illness gives me a connection to the outside world. My blog at ginzandtonic.com helps me do just that and also helps me raise awareness for my condition and for the work of the charity that supports it – well I hope anyway 🙂
It keeps my memories, tracks my progress, stress reliever.
That’s a hard one when you start thinking about it. I enjoy blogging and I have a series of books in my head, sometimes I think ‘that was a good post’ but I doubt myself so much. I am also at a stage in my life where I can do what ever I want and I love it, so I blog because I can x
I write because I feel.
I always found this question to be terribly wrong. I always felt as tho it is the same thing when someone asks me Why do I Love my husband and all I can remember is that movie, I forgot it’s name,where somebody said “If you need to name a reason to love someone, then you do not really love them at all. It connects to the writing thing. I get asked the Why and I don’t wanna sit and think of reasons, because that makes me feel as tho I am writing simply because I decided to, or somebody told me to, or I am good at it – while the truth is that I simply Do and I need it.
Hope it made sense and sorry for the lenghty reply 😀
Writing for me is a journey of the soul. I find that as I am open about the whole range of my emotions from joy to sorrow, that the Lord puts on my heart thoughts from my observations and experience that will hopefully bring some light, joy and comfort into the lives of many.
Writing as a child became an escape from my living private hell of abuse by my manic depressant schizophrenic father. The stories I would speak and write even then I found had an audience. People wanted to read what I had to write even in my fledgling beginning as a writer.
As I became a young adult my stories, sermons and thoughts took on a deeper and more profound journey. I began to see that so many were living like me in their own prisons of fear, rejection and ridicule. I felt the Lord’s call to somehow in some way point many to the light of hope that can be found in knowing Christ, really knowing Him not merely with our minds, but moreover our hearts.
Each of us has our own set of beliefs and the way we live that out. Writing for all of us can be a way of communicating what we believe and why we believe it.
God has been working out some amazing miracles in my life regarding writing. Mast cell ( cells that form part of your immune system and are in your skin tissues)stabilizers are helping with that part of my brain which deals with the ability to write. All my teaching by wise mentors and professors is being made more manifest as I write, as I give the writing God wants me to do over to Him.
It’s an exciting journey that even with my very rare condition called systemic mastocytosis (too many mast cells) that according to a University of Toronto research paper entitled “Mastocytosis: Disease of a Thousand Faces” affects 1 in 500,000 people in developed countries, the gains the Lord is allowing in His writing for Him are nothing short of miraculous. My faith tells me it’s more than just the mast cells stabilizing, It’s the Lord’s divine intervention for His kingdom reasons.
I pray what I have shared will speak to your heart. Who knows? You may even discover that a writer lies within you.
For those who are struggling writers, don’t put the dream God put upon your heart to be a writer into the closet of obscurity. He gave you the gift for a reason. Use it to His honour and glory. I pray you’ll be God-smacked at what the Lord can do with any life fully submitted to His will..
Have a light-filled weekend!
Kevin
Powerful friend, thanks!
It’s an extension of my testimony.
I started writing to have something my child could read about how they came into this world. 2 years later and no child insight, my blog has taken a new meaning on which is helping me struggle with infertility.
there are always stories to share and release to be had. “why” is often more compulsion to be free of the thoughts within than a simple love of writing…
I write because I want to pour out what is in my mind and in my heart.
To clear my head. Journaling is good, but blogging is more fun. I’m a good writer but don’t have the patience to try writing a book!
Thanks and sharing.
1.To be honest, I’d rather talk but these days everyone is putting words down, so I thought I’d join in! 2. I write for work and work for fun! 3. I write to share!
It’s my testimony
2 years ago, I discovered my fondness for writing. I used to write diaries and notes secretly, I didn’t want anyone to read them for the same reason you just mentioned.
Anyway, to be a writer is to be a thinker; as humans we only have one more advantage on our fellow animals which is our minds, so what’s the point of it if we don’t think? Besides, words are inspiring, there is just something special about words or the art of choosing the right word.
After I started to show more care for my words, I realized how weak in language we are and i’m talking about people in my country. We always use the same meaningless words and phrases to express ourselves and deliver the message, no creativity or influence in our speech, so that made me more alert and careful to what comes out of my mouth.
Today, i’m doing my best to learn more vocabularies everyday, I want to become a writer, I want to add value.
I can relate totally with your story. Particularly, I destroyed my journals back when I was 13-14 because I was going through a pretty odd and uncomfortable stage of my life. So, in order to protect myself (out of fear) I destroyed the journals, never to get it back or re-read it again. I will NEVER make that mistake again.
I blog, because I have a lot to say. I’m opinionated and like to discuss things that are on my mind. It gives me a great outlet that I don’t have otherwise.
Hi, thanks for finding and following my blog. I write because it’s what drives me, ever since I could pick up a pencil I have written stories. SD
You and me both, I LOVE it!
I indeed have a calling to write as well. As a child, I kept a diary and later did fairly well in high school English courses. So, I choose what I thought would be my career in college, Journalism. But later changed my major to English Linguistics. Oddly enough, I strayed away from writing in my early twenties, because I didn’t think I had an interest in it anymore. Then, just a few years ago I felt a calling from God to return to writing. I went through much trial and error trying to find what to write about. Eventually that problem was solved and quickly lead to a wonderful discovery. Writing is one of the only activities that gives me a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. That’s how I knew I’d found my passion, and this is why I write.
Your story is inspiring! I do re-call and remember my calling into writing and even the most recent repetition from God that “I am a writer.” I could not and cannot escape it. I LOVE putting pen to paper and I love putting fingers to keyboard. The creativity and mind it takes to put it altogether. Just exciting!