Wednesday, February 12, 2014

February 2014 Ramble: Why Do You Write?

Any time someone asks the question “Why do you write?” I hear the following quote in my mind: “I write because I must. It's not a choice or a pastime; it's an unyielding calling and my passion.” ― Elizabeth Reyes

I write because I must. If I don’t write, how will anyone else know these fantastically odd and incredibly charming people that populate my mind? If I don’t write, how will I keep my head from exploding? I imagine words as being paintbrushes with unlimited colors on their pallets, or an endless supply of clay. It thrills me to see worlds and peoples take shape under my fingers.

I like the feeling of my mind expanding when a new perspective shows itself. Or when a phrase I’ve heard a thousand times before (or never) sparks a new life in my brain. I admit I enjoy the romantic notion of sitting at a computer, a cup of tea steaming while the clickity clacking sounds of brilliance being unbound issue from my keyboard. Perhaps surprisingly, I will also admit to enjoying the pacing, agonizing and hair tearing of brilliance being a bit bashful (Which, let’s be honest, is usually more frequent than the former idyllic scenario).

Writing is a hundred different games I can play with myself. I like the solitary aspect of an activity that’s purpose is, in essence, to connect. I’m a bundle of contradictions and in writing I find a balance between them all.

I’m going to end this post with a rather long quote because I agree with each line and didn’t want to shorten it. Feel free to leave a comment and tell me why you write.

"I write to find strength.
I write to become the person that hides inside me.
I write to light the way through the darkness for others.
I write to be seen and heard.
I write to be near those I love.
I write by accident, promptings, purposefully and anywhere there is paper.
I write because my heart speaks a different language that someone needs to hear.
I write past the embarrassment of exposure.
I write because hypocrisy doesn’t need answers, rather it needs questions to heal.
I write myself out of nightmares.
I write because I am nostalgic, romantic and demand happy endings.
I write to remember.
I write knowing conversations don’t always take place.
I write because speaking can’t be reread.
I write to soothe a mind that races.
I write because you can play on the page like a child left alone in the sand.
I write because my emotions belong to the moon; high tide, low tide.
I write knowing I will fall on my words, but no one will say it was for very long.
I write because I want to paint the world the way I see love should be.
I write to provide a legacy.
I write to make sense out of senselessness.
I write knowing I will be killed by my own words, stabbed by critics, crucified by both misunderstanding and understanding.
I write for the haters, the lovers, the lonely, the brokenhearted and the dreamers.
I write because one day someone will tell me that my emotions were not a waste of time.
I write because God loves stories.
I write because one day I will be gone, but what I believed and felt will live on.”
 ― Shannon L. Alder

5 comments:

Unknown said...

"I admit I enjoy the romantic notion of sitting at a computer, a cup of tea steaming while the clickity clacking sounds of brilliance being unbound issue from my keyboard."

I don't like tea, and I don't claim brilliance in my own writing, but I love the imagery of brilliance being "unbound" from your innermost thoughts. And I think this very sentence is a testament to the point you're making here.

Unknown said...

I write, when possible, to stop from self-combusting. It allows me a glimpse of clarity in my muddled mind. Once the thoughts or words are released from my fingertips I find everything more organized and more space available upstairs. It is a release of varying sorts with self education as a reward.
So it really isn't the question of why do I write, but when can I write.

Tom Abbott said...

I get super restless when I ignore my creative side. Sometimes I program, sometimes I play the guitar or draw. For the last few years it's been writing. Someday I'll finish that novel!

Heidi A Wilde said...

Josh, I'm definitely not claiming brilliance in anything so far either, but the potential is there in all of us. I'm glad you liked the imagery :)

Typhyn, I hope you -are- finding time to write. I appreciate your comments. I'm going to swing over your way and see what you've been up to.

Tom, avoiding that restless feeling is another reason I write, or travel, or write about traveling... Gotta keep moving!

Hillary said...

How about How will I know who I am if I don't write?