"If you can't say it, then just write it."

I have always had a pen or a pencil in my hand since I learned how to write. I was constantly creating stories with my sister. We wrote ghost stories on Halloween, competing to see who could write the scariest one. Unfortunately, I'm not the best at writing scary stories, so I lost that competition by a landslide. However, as my sister began to lose interest in writing, mine only grew. I jumped at the chance to write about anything and everything. As a child, writing was something fun and carefree. However, as I got older, it meant more than just a simple way to pass the time.

I felt like no one really cared about what I had to say in middle school. At that phase in my life I thought my parents were embarrassing and school was a drag, and I didn't like who I saw in the mirror. My outlet was my diary. I wrote in it almost every day, and described how my day went in great detail. In a way, that diary was like a best friend to me through all the good, bad, and ugly times. As time progressed, I grew into my own skin, and started loving the person I was becoming. I wrote in my diary less and less and started writing poetry instead.

Writing took me to a place where the problems I had didn't exist

Life would get so hectic, and all I wanted was for time to just stop. When I picked up my pen and started writing, the world melted away, and I became a different person. Suddenly I was a princess in the 15th Century awaiting the arrival of a mysterious prince from the neighboring kingdom. When real life took a turn for the worst, I could create a place where things never went wrong.

Once I got to high school, I was challenged to stray from my fantasy world to the real world. The princesses and brave knights were gone, and in their place was The Great Gatsby, Hamlet and The Awakening. I always took the highest level English classes I could, so each assignment became harder as the years progressed. As strict and formal as some essays needed to be, I always took a creative turn when writing them. An example of this is that I crafted my college essay using song lyrics from my favorite song. I received a call from a college I applied to commending me on my original concept. I find conformity to be very constraining, so I always made sure what I did, whether in or out of the classroom, stood out from the rest.

Now when I look into the mirror, I love who I see.

Everyone has their own reasons for why they write. Some hope to achieve fame through their writing, while others write because it's their job. I write because written words often make up for those I can't speak. I write because I have to. Not writing would be like an organ collapsing- without it I cannot function. The person I've become wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for writing.