A question that I get asked all the time is, "Why do you enjoy writing so much"? There is a simple answer to that: writing, essentially, saved my life.
During most of my pre-teen and teenage years, I was extremely lost in what my talents consisted of or even if I truly possessed any. My friends around me had it all – one was blessed with this magnificent singing voice, another had these amazing dance skills, and one happened to have won all of these awards for being an outstanding skier. Then, there was me. I did try to see if I had any singing skills and then slowly, but surely, realized I was tone deaf. I then also tried out for multiple sports; volleyball, cheerleading, and tennis. I made only one of the teams, which happened to be tennis, mostly because everyone who tried out made it as well. Even though I was on the team, I was the absolute worst team member, and I am pretty sure the entire team dreaded when they found out they were paired with me in a doubles match. So, long story short, sports were never really my cup of tea by any means. I was lost and started giving up on myself, what direction was my life heading in when I felt like I didn't hold any true skills or talents?
It then clicked to me, I knew something I could do extremely well; I had the ability to tell a story. Whether it was writing in my journal about the crappy day I just had or writing a fictional story that just randomly popped up in my head, I knew that one day I would want to go public with my thoughts and here I am doing just that. Many people don't agree with me being so public on so many personal issues that I am facing on a daily basis and that's okay, they don't have to. I choose to share them because I feel, personally for me as a writer, I want my stories to be seen in the public eye in hopes that the people reading them can relate on some level. I want to help them realize they aren't alone in the different conflicts that they may face each and every day. Writing offers me this release, release from pain, depression, anxiety, and confusion; the four main things that rip me up on the inside due to the fact that I can't escape my own body no matter how hard I try.
My writing consists of me grabbing my laptop and slamming on the keys, an angry and harsh sound, yet when I look up on the page, I see these sentences that just make perfect sense in my head. It can be 3 AM when I'm awake in my bed, unable to sleep – I would just grab my laptop and start writing about all the emotion and feelings hindering me from getting a good night's sleep. After I am done, I feel such a release, and it really does help me feel better about myself.
Most of my writing tends to focus on my life, what surrounds me and many observations that I make through each day. I write every single day, especially when I am feeling emotionally distraught. I tend to piece certain things together. I struggle with figuring out why certain things happen in my life, but when I put it into writing and start piecing them together, the answers are all right there. This is another reason why writing is a key component in my life. It gives me answers to questions I have been asking for years. The funny thing is it's my writing – I have had the answers all along, I just needed to see them on paper in order to comprehend and do something about the issues I am faced with.
I guess you can go as far as saying writing has become my best friend. I do struggle sometimes with it – writer's block is probably the most frustrating thing a writer can deal with – but for the most part, writing picks me up when I am down. If I am writing something I am passionate about, it's a feeling like no other and sometimes I just get lost in the words and my fingers are just typing on their own. I would highly suggest taking up writing in your spare time, especially if you are dealing with many different stressors in your life. Even if it's just a journal that you jot some things down in every day, you may be surprised how much of a release it truly is.
Writing changed my life; maybe it can change yours, too.
