Most of us write on an everyday basis. Whether we are writing a grocery list, a poem or even when we send someone a text we are writing in some form or another, but what exactly is writing?

Writing is about getting our thoughts out there and not caring if it offends someone. Not everyone is going to like what you write, and that is okay! For example, I do not like Shakespeare, but he is known as one of the best written author in English literature. I have read several of his plays and sonnets and I personally don't care for his works. However, that does not mean that he isn't a brilliant writer, that just means that I don't like his work.

If you write something and someone or maybe even several people say they don't like it, it doesn't mean you are a bad writer. Getting constructive criticism is going to help you grow, but do not try to please everyone with your writing because that is only going to stress you out and make you unoriginal. It is also okay to make people mad if you are saying what you think. However, that doesn't mean you can be a total jerk in your writing. It simply means that you should do what makes you happy. Don't try to censor yourself. If we censored everything, art would not exist.

So again, what is writing?

Writing is an outlet for all the things that bother you, or in some way, shape or form, affects you emotionally. Write about what matters to you and not about what matters to everyone else. The chances are there is someone out there that has the same opinion as you and is just too afraid to say it. When you write, it isn't about getting a lot of attention. Although publicity is great because it will help you later if you want to become a writer, writing is more about getting through to at least one person. Even if that one person is yourself, your mom or your friend, if you can change at least one person's life because of what you write, you are a phenominal writer. Writing is you.