Why I Write

I write because I believe it is what I was born to do. I’ve wrestled most of my life with trying to fit in or have a sense of belonging somewhere, and it is only when writing that I truly feel like myself, like I am where I’m supposed to be. This feeling transcends projects, transcends genres. I could be writing a blog, a research paper, a short story, a memoir, or in my journal. It is the one thing that feels the most natural to me. Not even breathing feels this good. 

I write to keep myself sane. As Lord Byron said, “If I do not write to empty my mind, I go mad.” This is truly the feeling that I experience when journaling—my emotions are so complex and deep that I feel if I do not get them out somehow, they will overwhelm me, drown me in a sea of confusion. I write to poke holes in the bottom of the sea, so that I can wade into my thoughts and feelings without being swept away by the current. 

Along these same lines, I also write to deconstruct my complex emotions about certain subjects. Most times, I go with my gut and trust my intuition, but there are still times when I question myself and what road I should take. To write through a decision-making process, even if it is just making a list of pros and cons, clarifies for me what I should do, what I need to do. Somehow seeing it in black and white makes things more simple, and I can then intuit the right path for me.

When writing fiction, I write to entertain myself, my friends, my family. I write because the characters in my head won’t shut up and leave me alone to do silly little things like homework or eat or sleep. I write fiction because you never know when you may inspire someone else, when someone else may fall in love with a character that lives in your own head, or when you can provide an escape out of a shitty day for someone to come play in your world.