Response to “Do you Know Why You Really Like to Write?”
I admit to writing for money, but before there was money, there was passion. Now, I begin to write for new (which used to be my old) reasons for why I write.
When I first took writing classes 30+ years ago, the topic of “why do you write” came up quite a bit. At that time, our teachers commanded us to write down our purpose for writing with words on (actual) paper.
I’ve barely handwritten a note in the past 18 years, let alone using a pencil or pen to compose a whole story since I first used a computer in the 1990s. Still, the concept prevails concerning “why” I write.
It’s important to remind ourselves once in a while why we do write, especially after writing for money for nearly two decades.
Besides money, I admit to wanting to write for another somewhat "superficial" reason.
In 5th grade, I felt good about myself after I wrote my first poem and impressed my teacher with it. 30+ years later, it turns out it's one of the only things I am good at -- not poetry, necessarily, but writing in general.
Now, I write because it's cheaper than therapy!
It defuses negative emotions, and that’s one of the other reasons I always wrote, even before I got paid the first time. An anxiety release also comes after I write. Then, I feel calm.
Even if the words sit as unused content in my cloud drive, it feels like I healed after writing them.
Do you know why?
I tap into my subconscious "just a little" better if I feel like I have someone to direct my words to. To make one thing clear, however, I never want people to feel sorry for me. It's mostly so they don't feel so alone in the world.
Also, I like the feeling that someone out there understands and cares, even if no one saw my words yet.
No Better Way to Earn a Living Than To Get Paid to Vent
Well, I don't always get paid to write about what I want to write about...
However, I do sometimes "get lucky" with an assignment. I have actually, as a ghostwriter, gotten paid to write about topics that matter to me. So, that's fun.
Now, I want to transition from writing only for me into writing for other people:
I discovered I enjoy writing to teach and inform, which I first started doing in 2005. It's exciting to tell the world what I learned, no matter how mundane or exciting the topic from relationships, to how a certain phone app works, to the latest shoe fashions.
Above all else, it's fun to make some of the most "boring" topics relatable to people by telling them stories -- and when I say “boring,” I usually think of my math or history teachers in high school. If anyone has a tough job, they do.
The most interesting teachers, in my opinion, can keep people engaged, not make them fall asleep. That’s what I want to do — keep people awake during some of the most boring but necessary class sessions!
I do understand, however, that not everyone will like my writing, and I take no offense if you don’t.
Maybe not everyone should, and that’s okay. Instead, you can find out what hundreds of thousands of other Medium authors are “printing” online these days.
