I should never do this
But sometimes, I do.
I took a content writing course in work today. It covered copywriting and sentence structure and narrative and style. It was great, and I learned a ton.
Except, right at the start of the workshop, Mike (the instructor) told us to never write for ourselves.
“It’s a common mistake,” he said, “but you should always write for your audience.”
And I nodded along in agreement with him.
“Yes, of course you should write for your audience. They’re your readers, the lifeblood of your writing.”
But then I thought about it a little bit more.
“Wait a second. No. Sometimes — not all the time, but sometimes — you need to write for yourself.”
Because, sometimes, you do. Sometimes, writing can be a form of meditation. Or, it can act as reminder of how you should think, feel or do.
The words you write don’t always have to be for someone else. They can be publicly yours, a reminder of who you are at this specific point in time.
Right now, on the 25th November 2016, I am driven. I am ambitious and I am determined to achieve anything I set my mind to. Yesterday I said I’d be in Bali in three years, and New York in five. That’s how ambitious I am. I didn’t write yesterday’s Chapter for no reason; I wrote it for me.
Today the same is true.
I’m 22. I don’t need to write for anyone else but myself.
Right now, I’m selfish. And that’s okay.
I write for me. I hit publish for me. I share for me.
My daily blog is for me, you’re just along for the ride.
Welcome aboard.