There are a multitude of reasons for doing a multitude of things. Exercise can be for toning up the body or simply clearing the mind, for example. Some individuals wear makeup because it's fun, while others feel insecure without it. We all need our outlets, our little safe havens away from the universe and ourselves. A large outlet for me is when I write.
When I write things by hand, the simple action of moving the pen across the paper can be cathartic. A rhythmic action moving in sync with my mind, thoughts moving through my brain one after the other until there are no more thoughts to write.
When I type, my fingers fly across the keys, fighting to find the right words to put in the right place so I can create the perfect image in the mind of anyone who reads what I have created.
My mind has a hard time slowing down, but I don't need to go slow when I write. There is no set pace or set of rules (outside of basic grammar and spelling). I can write about whatever I want, whenever I want, and then throw it away if I don't like it. Sometimes I simply write to get the thoughts out of my head and somewhere else so I can either decipher them properly or put them aside to allow myself to pour over them when I am feeling more at ease with my state of being. There have been hundreds of times when I have no idea what words are going to come next until they're already on the page.
Writing is my way of exploring. I can watch people grow and change, sometimes out of my control despite my ideas being the foundation, and they do things that I never would have anticipated when I first breathed life into their lungs. I can explore an imaginary land, or I can explore inside myself, to try and understand why I do things the way that I do and how to better myself. I can venture into my own anxiety, or create a villain that represents it, all with the English language, and open mind, and a little imagination.
Writing is fantastic to me simply because it has very few boundaries. Poems do not have complete sentences, and often negate grammar rules, while research papers have footnotes longer than the paper itself. Works of fiction, works of truth, there's something for everyone whether it be simple or complex, so one should not worry whether people will like it when creating. After all, if the writer doesn't like it the writer likely won't progress with it, and then nothing will get done at all!
Creation in this form becomes nearly limitless. It becomes so much more about enjoying the experience of creation and the final product rather than what other people will feel. And then when others do read it, they may find clues that the writer wouldn't have stumbled upon otherwise.
Why do I write? I write to live, and breathe, and create and exist in my own way as best as I can, because sometimes that's not the easiest thing we as humans are expected to do. Writing is my freedom. My passion. And while I may walk away from it for a time, I refuse to give it up permanently, because sometimes it's the only thing keeping me sane.
