Authors, journalists, poets, short story writers, children’s authors, series novelists, columnists. The list of different types of writers can go on and on. Some people write because it’s their job, their source of income, their reason for thriving in the business world. Some people make it a career. Some people do it as a creative outlet. Some people hide their writing for years until they can no longer write, and suddenly magic is found.
Me? I write because I am a writer. There is simply no better answer. I, like many others, cannot get through a single day without jotting something down about how I am feeling, a word that I like, a quote that made me happy, a list, a letter to someone, a short note. Often times, my words flow better when I write them than when I speak them, and I do not feel whole unless I am consistently getting my thoughts out in a creative way. This is what it means, to me, to be a writer.
When I was in 7th grade, I had an English teacher who encouraged us to write, and made it a huge part of our curriculum. She gave me my first Writer’s Notebook. She taught me to find words in the dictionary that I thought were interesting or wanted to learn about, and how to use them in sentences, and in every day life. She taught me to find poetry, quotes and snippets of stories that I love, and write them in my Writer's Notebook. These notebooks were to safely keep words that inspired us as writers. She sparked my love for this artistry; for words and for the magic we can create with them.
Now, ten years later, I think about my experience in that 7th grade classroom every single time I write. I think about the phrase that she drilled into her students minds every day: “Good writers read, write, speak and listen.” I think about this and I realize that there is nothing I love more than sitting down in a dimly lit room with a strong cup of coffee and just letting my words flow onto my laptop, or my notebook; whatever method I choose that day. I still pull out my Writer’s Notebook from time to time if I need a little inspiration, or a reminder of why I am driven to write. That passion is the longest love I have sustained throughout my life.
I have come to realize that writing is not about always producing something worth sharing, or something at all. There are struggles, blocks, difficulties with putting thoughts to paper in the way that you want to. Being a writer doesn’t mean that you write something to get published all the time. It means that you keep writing no matter what.
I write because so many writers have touched my life, and have captured exactly how I am feeling in a particular moment, and I want to do that for someone. Even if it’s one person on this whole earth, if I can make them feel the way I have felt reading so many writers words, I will be content.
Many people ask, or wonder, how do we do it? How do we reach deep down from within our souls to form these words, phrases or sentences that mean so much? Writing can be fueled my so many things. When I was younger, I used to walk myself to the lake near my house, sit on a dock and just write. I found that I was at peace and inspired by that environment and what surrounded me. Now, I still enjoy finding those little places that please me, make me feel inspired, and it is magical when I do.
Many of us are afraid to share our stories, our thoughts and our feelings with the world. So we may write, but keep it for our own eyes only. The fear of sharing something so personal used to give me such anxiety that I never let anyone read a word I wrote.
As I grew older, that suddenly changed. Think about it: we are given a 26 letter alphabet, and writers can create entire stories, imagined and realistic, with just that. We can write our stories, other people's stories and fantastical stories that can reach thousands of people. Why wouldn’t we want to share our thoughts?
Writing is fueled by love, pain, passion, hurt, anger, excitement, happiness. Sometimes, even for the most experienced writers, it is difficult to get the words out. What drives us to write is individual. It is the best form of therapy. Putting my words on paper helps me understand myself, the world and even myself in this world. I write to become free.
So, how do you do it? How do you become a writer? You just do it.
