Writing is about self expression. Writing is about everything you want to say but can’t verbalize. Writing is for you, not for anyone else.
As a writer, I am not looking for copious amounts of shares. I’m looking to express what I want for myself. Authors don’t sit around thinking about what readers want them to say, they write down what passes through mind because the writing is for them.
Creative writing is like a journal entry or a diary. YOU get to be creative and write what YOU want. I free write and write creatively to get thing out for myself. Writing is a hobby for me.
When I am writing for another person I’m writing what I want to say to them. I don’t sit at my table thinking what my sister wants to hear or what my best friend would want me to write down. I am writing to them to get my thoughts and feelings about this person out onto paper.
Academic writing is the only writing that I do with another person in mind. I look at the assignment and I write what I think my professor is asking of me. However, even with the professor in mind, I am still writing what I think should be said.
I have never wanted to write for another person. In my opinion it is a waste of time. Why would you pick a topic that you feel so strongly about and sit in front of a computer thinking “What does my audience want me to say?” That brings out impersonal and wasteful words and thoughts.
Shares are not my goal. I do not want to create a personal relationship with a reader while I write about my eating disorder, my sister, my major or my job. My goal in writing is to get my thoughts out and hopefully someone will want to read it. If someone relates to my writing, than I have done my job.
I want my writing to be relatable. To be relatable I have to be personal. To do this I have to tell a story through my personal experience. I have to use a personal picture. I have to put a face to the person I am writing to. I have to bring life to my writing.
I will never write for someone else’s enjoyment as my main goal. I will never be more focused on audience interaction than on getting my message out there. My writing is for me. The size of my audience is less important than the meaning of my words. The size of my audience is less important than my passion.
I write for myself.
