Writing Prompt: Why Do You Write?

 Prompt: Why do you write?

Why Do You Write?

I write for several reasons. I guess the first is it soothes me, makes me feel good to get things down on paper, in a somewhat orderly manner. Words tend to flow out of me in a loose, easy way most of the time. Is that a gift? I’m not sure, but I like seeing them string together on the page, filling up paragraphs. As I write, any tension I might be feeling slowly slips away, and I relax into my expression. I always feel better after a writing session, perhaps that comes from all the years I have spent journaling my feelings.

I write because sometimes I’m struggling, and I’m drawn to vomit out my angst on the page, and the purge brings blessed relief. I’m not sure why it works, it just does, I guess it’s kinda like praying and the relief it can bring. I’ll start a passage in a terrible mood, but when I’m done, things have shifted and I’m seeing possibilities that weren’t there at first. It’s a peeling of the onion, so to speak, as I move from darkness into light.

Sometimes I write to entertain, I seek out an audience like I’m a performer on a stage. I try to choose words that will entice, maybe cast a spell, perhaps cause discomfort or rather elicit some sort of emotional reaction from the reader or listener. I had a lot of experience acting in high school, always getting the lead in the school plays. This desire to perform carries over into my writing, and I love reading what I write to an audience, placing emphasis here and there. 

Some writing I do with an eye on perhaps publishing, so it’s this idea of writing giving me a purpose in life. I did once make a career out of writing, working as a newspaper reporter long ago. I’ve shared with some of you that I’ve always wanted to publish a memoir about my bipolar disorder called, “Bipolar Bared” but my husband is pushing me to pursue the loftier goal of writing a screenplay about my bipolar life. All of this is to say that writing can be a profession, and something I might embrace again.

Finally, having suffered through some med-induced writer’s blocks that have lasted multiple years, I write now because I know it’s a precious gift, not to be taken lightly, something to be really treasured. It’s extremely painful and frustrating when you want to write yet nothing comes forth. So I write because I can, I write because I’m compelled, I write to be complete. 

I have to remind myself that not everyone writes, they don’t hear the siren song I do, calling them to put pen to paper. I’m grateful for this writers’ circle we have made, where I’ve found others who hear that writerly siren song. Why write? Why not write!