There has been some conflict in the community recently, about what people desire or want to get from what they do, and I have come to put my opinion out there, by telling you why I became a writer, why I do what I do.

I began writing when I was younger, as a result of the stories and scenarios I would make up in my head, stemming from a passion for reading. I wanted to be just like the authors that I read from, like the characters I read about, strong, confident in what I was doing, and it became something that I loved to do, and I still do, even today, when I have been informed several times that it isn’t a real job or that it wouldn’t be a decent, well-paying job that could pay my bills, and while that may be true, it isn’t going to stop me.

Every time I write, I learn something. That’s the main purpose of why I write, to grow and to change through the words that I slip onto the page.

Something I have learned as a writer, is that sometimes your best ideas come at random, when you least expect it, and that is why I love it so much. The premise that all of these beautiful beginnings of ideas blooming from a random fleeting thought could occur is completely fascinating to me and it has been ever since I started to really think about my writing.

Sometimes, when people don't like what I have to write, I admit that I do get self-conscious, I wonder what the point is, and then I remember why I started. I didn't start writing to please others, I did it for myself, for the prospect of a world that could be changed simply by words, to make some sort of difference, and of course, to try to be heard. I don't write in order to have people love it, because there are some people who might not agree or don't like what I have to say, but that will never make it any less important to me.

There is strength in my words, and so much passion for what I do, and just because someone thinks that I do it for reasons other than the ones I hold right now, does not mean that I’m going to quit. Quitting means that they have successfully stifled my voice, and I will not let that happen. I have control over what I say and do, no one else.

So, if someone were to ask me why I write despite what everyone says or does to try to stop me, I’ll tell them to look at my fellow creators, at the support system I have, at all of the opinions I have compiled into articles for other people to view. I will tell them that I have one voice and that I fully intend to share it. I have to accept and respect that not everyone will like it, but to also pay more attention to those that do. My writing is one of the best defenses I have, one of my most powerful assets, and I am proud of it. I'm proud that I am able to create a plethora of words, and that I can spread it.

I also write because of the emotions produced as a result, the anger, the laughter, the utter happiness that could come of it all. And I continue to because I want to give people the chance to know that no matter what, a voice matters, that I think the issues people face matter and overall, that writing does matter. It may not be a “proper” career, or necessarily a key to an Ivy League school but it is mine, it will always be mine. It gives me a purpose, a plan, and it makes me happy, and in the end, that's what should truly count.