Bloganuary Day 6

Why do you write?

I don’t know why I find this question difficult to answer. Maybe it’s because I’ve already answered it in so many ways on this blog. See for yourself in this post or any of my Insecure Writer’s Support Group posts or just yesterday’s Bloganuary post, “What brings you joy in life?”

In fact, simply scroll down the posts under the Musings tab, and you’re sure to find the answer.

So then what can I say today that I haven’t said a million times before?

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

Well, if it isn’t obvious, I enjoy telling stories. Ever since I was a child and created a radio talk show with my stuffed animals where each character had to tell a story, storytelling has been a part of my DNA. My earliest memories with my dad are of us writing stories together. It comes naturally to me, which is ironic because I’m a terrible liar and I’m also incredibly shy in person. I often struggle to find the words to say. That’s not to say that I don’t struggle to find the words when I’m writing too, because I do. Usually, the culprit is wondering if I’m good enough or pressuring myself to be perfect. But when I’m simply writing what flows from my brain, through my fingers, and onto the page, it feels like magic.

I love inventing new places and new people. I enjoy living out my fantasies through the characters I create. I explore feelings and emotions I can’t bring myself to say out loud, hoping that one day the person meant to hear them will stumble across my blog or one of my published works and read it and know.

I imagine a better world than the one we currently live in, and sometimes I imagine a worse world to help us appreciate what we have and to warn us against going down the wrong path.

I wish more people would heed the warnings…

I write stories based on strange dreams I’ve had. Sometimes those dreams are prophetic. To this day, I get anxiety whenever I dream of someone dying. That Twilight Zone story about the woman who can foresee death has more truth in it than you may have realized.

I write to express my faith, whether via fiction or nonfiction. I used to have a blog series called Sunday Morning Word, where I’d write a short essay about a Bible verse or a Bible question. Lack of confidence, not wanting to offend anyone, and feeling underqualified (because I’m not perfect) forced me to stop, but I’m looking into bringing it back—if I can stay consistent, which is my biggest challenge currently.

Ultimately, I write because otherwise, I would feel incomplete. Never have I ever felt more purposeless, more empty, than I did during the last three years when I wasn’t writing at all. That’s why I believe this was a gift only God could have given me. I believe He created each of us with a purpose, and without writing, what would my purpose be?

So I will cherish this talent of mine. I will nurture it. I will try not to burn it out, because it’s all I’ve got to live for.