Whether you write to figure things out, calm down, escape into another world or change this world altogether, tell us why you do it. What inspires you? What brings you to the page? What does writing do for you (and for others)? Why do you write?
Jan 20, 2022·edited Jan 20, 2022Liked by Christine Wolf
Lately, I've been writing for the deadline. I gotta have something ready every Saturday on Substack. I love to tell true stories about my life. When I get it just right, I laugh out loud and and then I look forward to putting it out there on Saturday. I love to get lost in the word smithing process. If I didn't have a deadline, I probably wouldn't do it. Thanks for asking. H
I write because I feel compelled to. I say that being creative is expressing your truth. I write fiction because my main character needs me to tell their story. I blog because I want to encourage other people to write their truth - whatever that means to them.
My entire life I was told I was a writer. As a child, a student, a young adult and on. "You're a writer!" people would say. "Write!" "You've had such an interesting life - you should write about that" and so on. But it wasn't until I completed my graduate work (in my late 40's) and wrote a dissertation on the psychology of home, understanding how people connect to places and people, that I finally felt I had something to write about. Something unique. Something that I could speak to from my own experience. Something that would truly be of value to others.
My struggle as a writer is that I don't write out of vanity. I don't write just to be published. I don't write to hear my own thoughts. I write only when I genuinely think that what I'm writing will actually be useful to others. The most difficult part of that has been accepting that sharing my personal story is helpful to others. I'm more inclined to keep the personal separate. But, it seems from the feedback I've received, that what I write has much more impact when I relate it to my own experience.
I write to connect with people. I love vulnerable storytelling because it's a reminder that we are all deeply human and the same.The best way to get to know somebody is through a story.
Why Do You Write?
Lately, I've been writing for the deadline. I gotta have something ready every Saturday on Substack. I love to tell true stories about my life. When I get it just right, I laugh out loud and and then I look forward to putting it out there on Saturday. I love to get lost in the word smithing process. If I didn't have a deadline, I probably wouldn't do it. Thanks for asking. H
I write because I feel compelled to. I say that being creative is expressing your truth. I write fiction because my main character needs me to tell their story. I blog because I want to encourage other people to write their truth - whatever that means to them.
My entire life I was told I was a writer. As a child, a student, a young adult and on. "You're a writer!" people would say. "Write!" "You've had such an interesting life - you should write about that" and so on. But it wasn't until I completed my graduate work (in my late 40's) and wrote a dissertation on the psychology of home, understanding how people connect to places and people, that I finally felt I had something to write about. Something unique. Something that I could speak to from my own experience. Something that would truly be of value to others.
My struggle as a writer is that I don't write out of vanity. I don't write just to be published. I don't write to hear my own thoughts. I write only when I genuinely think that what I'm writing will actually be useful to others. The most difficult part of that has been accepting that sharing my personal story is helpful to others. I'm more inclined to keep the personal separate. But, it seems from the feedback I've received, that what I write has much more impact when I relate it to my own experience.
I write to connect with people. I love vulnerable storytelling because it's a reminder that we are all deeply human and the same.The best way to get to know somebody is through a story.