1/13/10

Why do I write?


I have an assignment due tomorrow. It's for my magazine writing class on why I do what I do. Why do I write?

I write because I have to. I write because it's what I do. I write because my mind speaks words in ways that my mouth cannot, and they're transferred to my fingertips and onto a piece of paper. I write because I see what I'm thinking, and once it's on paper it's out of my mind. I write because it transfers my worries from my head so I can move on to something else. I write because one day I hope to become famous. I write because my friends like to read what I put onto paper. I write because it helps me get better grades on papers. I write because I have to. Writing is my own private get away. It lets me explore numerous possibilities with different characters and situations.
I write because if I didn’t, the past three years I would have had no outlet. I would not have known how to express my feelings at not being able to walk for two years, or for being a medical mystery. I write because I know other people are going through it, too. It is a struggle that many people have gone through before me, are going through now, and will go through after me. It is the same now. I write because I can’t let my best friend know how upset I am that he is joining the Air Force. It’s not because I’m not proud of him, or because I disagree with it, but because we have been inseparable for seven years.
I write because it is who I am. The words, the feelings and the emotion that I think, have and feel are all put onto paper and out of my head. I write because now, I don’t have to think about not talking to him, or even seeing him for the majority of six years. I write because I can’t put into words how much he believes he can do this on his own, but I know him well enough to know he can’t. I write, so at some point, he can read it…and realize how much he actually means to me and how strong our friendship actually is.
That is why I write. It’s simple, really. There isn’t a great long meaningful explanation to it. It’s just how I am. I was going to start off saying something about how April O’Nielle from the Ninja Turtles inspired me, but I could never be on camera…so writing was the next best thing. That did inspire me when I was five. I’m not that five year old anymore, though. I’m 21 real life has hit, and I write to get through it.