Why Write?

This my 150th piece for Medium. I have (metaphorically) crumpled up and tossed away many ideas to this point. Some have been ephemeral, and the thoughts containing the idea have drifted away like butterflies, when I haven’t had a net to catch them (or a pen and paper, or iPhone to speak them into).
Given a busy life, with parenting, and full time work, why write? What do you get out of it?
Some people write for an audience, and some find fame. Others write to get their thoughts out to the world, and see if they boomerang back. Some write to reflect- to write their ideas into place, and see if they help to clarify things we are struggling with, or working on.
I like to clear out my unconscious mind. Think of my mind, my entire consciousness and memory as being like one of those overstuffed storage bins. Here a stack of comic books. There a bird cage. Over there in the corner, inexplicably, eight banjos. I write to clear out my ideas, and make room for new ones.
Write something profound, or something profoundly modest, I don’t care. Write because writing is the only way to get better at writing. If you practice writing, you will notice yourself improving right away. My son just finished his rookie ball season. They went from not being able to field a ball or hit a pitch, to being able to do both and more. Novices show the most improvement. They start nowhere, and end up somewhere.
Here are some reasons I think you should write:
- To share your interesting ideas. Don’t underestimate them. They are interesting.
- To reflect on your life, your job, existence itself. Your written thoughts have a different feeling and texture on the page, than in your head. They will distort, change, and mutate before your very eyes.
- Write because something made you mad. Global warming, the President or Prime Minister- something must make you mad!
- Write when you had a bad day. Write when you had a good one.
Write because your creative mind deserves to be unleashed. Write because words have power, and your words are powerful.
