Why Do We Write?
I was thinking to myself and asked myself a question. LeWayne, why do you write? What makes you think that you can write something that someone will read? As early as I can remember, I was a daydreamer. The kind of child that would get lost in thought in the middle of class. Sometimes, or most times that led me to get in some sort of trouble in class. I would miss what the teacher was saying and she would tell me that I had to “pay attention”. It wasn’t because the teacher was boring, I was just lost in my thoughts.
For some reason, the teacher never asked me what exactly I was daydreaming about. Or maybe I had a situation or problem at home that was more important to me than learning about fractions. Now, don’t get me wrong. I loved school, and have always loved to learn. But at that moment, I was thinking about something more exciting and probably trying to find a solution to a problem that might have solved a major second-grade issue in this world.
The real subject of this story is writing, but there is so much more to writing than just the act of writing. Writing to me is an expression of thoughts and ideas. Sometimes those ideas ask questions, or they solve problems, or simply they just get the point across. Regardless of the type of writing, it is a form of artistic expression. And some have called it, “creative expression”.
So, I ask you the question. Why do you write? Why would you write something, anything that you don’t know if others will like? Let’s talk about writing for a few minutes. Writing happens at a very young age, like when children begin to learn to write their names, write numbers, and write a sentence. People have written for hundreds, will thousands of years. And regardless of the language they use, we have read their writings to find out information.
We write to communicate with one another, we write to put laws into action, and to determine things that are important to us. We write because we know that the written language is timeless.
But why do writers struggle to write what they feel is important to them? Now we have other forms of writing like blogs, and social media writing. We have to copyright that allows us to communicate a need for us to purchase products and services online. The written word is everywhere, it’s all over the world.
I can’t imagine a world without the written word. Where would we go to sit for hours to read books? How would we learn to do things without directions, a recipe, or those directions on a chocolate cake box?
But in the end, I still struggle with my words, to write or not to write. I tell myself all types of lies and makeup excuses why I shouldn’t write. You know the stories that we tell ourselves like we are not good enough. And who in the world would take the time to read my writing?
Writing is for everyone that wants to express themselves through the art of the written word. Regardless of how “good” your writing is, you should still have the freedom, and the confidence to write something without feeling the pressure of shame and doubt. Write because you have something to say to others, and you want to communicate with whomever through the expression of the written word. And don’t be afraid to make a mistake, to spell something wrong, and just write really badly.
