I get asked every now and then, usually by classmates or other acquaintances, why I choose to write. It's a very vague and very broad question, one that sounds like it's kind of complicated to answer, but quite simply?

I choose to write because I enjoy it.

It's not just an "introvert" thing

Writing isn't necessarily something I choose to do to avoid talking to people. Rather, writing is a way that I find I can get my thoughts together enough to form a coherent and potentially shareable message. I'm admittedly not the best when it comes to talking about my thoughts and feelings in person. I ramble and I stutter and I use "uh" and "like" and "um" far more often than the normal person should.

But when I write, I'm able to sit down and piece together my thoughts and feelings. I have time to go over my words, to jot them all down and delete words or phrases as necessary. In my mind, writing my words as opposed to speaking them aloud lessens the likelihood of me sounding stupid because I actually had time to think about my words first.

In addition, when I write things in regards to my feelings and my thoughts, often times they're kept compiled somewhere. They're saved somewhere safe, where I can look back later on and read them again when I feel like it. My journals are my scrapbooks, only with words that paint the pictures in my mind, images that no camera could capture.

I become the scribe of my own memories, and there's something about that that makes me feel powerful.

There is a reason why, often times, the pen is mightier than the sword.

There's a certain kind of magic to writing. Whether it's through poetry, literature, documentary, news - there's something about how just a few words are capable of moving your very being. There's something about how a person can beautifully articulate the qualities in someone's face, their voice, their entire being in just a brief summary of carefully woven words.

Words are boundless, it seems, and capable of so much more than people realize. I, for one, seemed to have realized this at a young age when I started writing fantastical tales of fiction that dazzled my grade school teachers. Though I honed in on my craft and focused a little more on media and news writing as I grew older, the joy of creating images for my readers never left.

Simply put,y words became my way of letting people see the world as I saw it.

Writing isn't an escape, it's a reflection of who I am, and who I am is someone who loves to speak to the world.

So for those that ask me why I choose to write, I ask you this: why not?