I write because quite simply, I love it. The things I write are an extension of myself, my thoughts, and my creative process. Some choose to express themselves through their voices, their art, through their clothes and their hair. I choose to write, because I feel the most free when I’m paired with a blank Word document and a big cup of coffee.

I write because it’s a place where my ideas and thoughts can run wild. I can have the simplest thought, the strangest idea, and I can write it down and turn it into something that might not make much sense to some, but to me, it’s beautiful.

I write because of writers who have inspired me. I spent most of my childhood reading, and found myself lost in pages and pages of made up words and wizards with lightning scars. I write as an ode to those who opened my eyes to just how much you can create with your mind and a pencil, and I write as an ode to myself.

I write because I suck at math. Like, I’m not super bad at it, but you wouldn’t want me as your brain surgeon. In Louisiana, it feels like everyone’s an engineer, and that’s not what I want to do. Writing might not make me as much money as a STEM major, but I’m not in it for the money. I’m in it because it makes me happy.

I write because it allows me to say things that I can’t say out loud. I’ve always been quiet, and there are sometimes when things just get to be too much in every day life, and I turn to writing to let it all out. To vent. If I’m angry, scared, confused, or even when I’m at my happiest, I can fall back on this tool to just write and not worry about how I sound or being judged.

I write because I can look back at what I’ve done in the past and see how far I’ve come. Growing up is hard, but having old documents saved and old notebooks full of my lefty handwriting is a look back on the past, and not only can I see how my writing has matured, but how I’ve matured and grown as a person.

And finally, I write because there are no rules. You don’t need to follow grammar rules if you don’t want to. You don’t need to follow any kind of structure. I have as much freedom over my work as I please, and I can do with it whatever I want. It’s hard to get that from much else. I write because it’s art, and nothing can take that away from me.