I think this is a question that every writer has to think about at one point or another. I think that the answer to this question is never wrong, as we all start out writing for different reasons.
Our opinions can also change over time. I think it's something unique for us wordsmiths, so today, I'll tell you why I write. ❤️
I've been through many different mindsets throughout my writing journey, and this has led me to several different iterations of "why." To tell you about my why, you'll have to learn a little about me.
My first why was my freshman year of high school. Everything around that time was new to me. I was going to a new school where I had no friends, I was learning how high school hierarchies worked, studying harder than I ever had, and participating in more physical activities than I'd planned. It was tough to keep my schedule from falling apart, and this is around the time I stopped reading. I went from reading 4-5 books a week to only reading textbooks and worksheets, and this persisted until my last years of college.
Because I wasn't reading anymore, I didn't have an avid hobby to partake in, and nowhere for my brain to go when I wanted to escape reality. This is when I started writing. When I finished the work I was supposed to do in class, I would flip to the last few pages of my notebook, and start writing stories. This is actually how I wrote my first book (never published, and probably never will be). I would write until my hands ached and the bell ushered me to my next class, and I started taking every free moment to write a few more words, another page, another paragraph. When I got home, I would rip out the pages and stuff them into a folder on my bookshelf, full of random one-page stories.
I started writing as a desperate attempt to escape reality.
This happened for years, up until only recently, and I have kept almost every page and every unfinished notebook of stories that I wrote. It's a reminder of how far I've come, and how much imagination I kept alive even in the busiest years of my life.
Once I reached college, I started thinking more seriously about writing. I had just finished my associate's degree in a subject that I didn't care for, and I felt very little passion about what I would be doing with my future. I had to take a look in the mirror and figure out who I was, and who I wanted to be. This is when I changed my career path and major. I switched my major to English and enrolled in FIU's Creative Writing program.
I learned so much about the writing world that I didn't even know existed. I found like-minded people and professors that were passionate about writing and helping us excel in our journeys. All of my core classes were spent writing, and I felt invigorated again.
This is around the time I discovered poetry. Poetry had always been a foreign thing to me. Sometimes I would read classic poetry and think to myself, how does anyone understand this? As I kept taking more and more classes, I found that poetry wasn't so bad. I started trying it out myself, and in 2017 I made an Instagram account called KayTPoems, where I started writing poetry for others to see.
I kept writing because I fell in love with poetry and prose.
Through the rest of college and after graduation, I delved into poetry and prose more than I ever had (thanks to numerous assignments). I started to believe that I was good at what I was doing, and it felt like I could make it being an author if I dedicated myself. When I first started writing, prose was the only thing I wanted to write. I loved reading, and the concept of writing my own lovable/unlovable characters was something I desperately wanted and needed.
Now, I know that poetry is my calling. At first, poetry was just a way to vent my feelings. Then, I started to find a community with "social media poets," and I started to see how beautiful words could be. KayTPoems is now spanned across Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, and Tumblr. I write at least 3 poems a day, and could not be happier watching other people be inspired by something I write.
I write because I found a home in a beautiful community.
I won't keep gushing about how much I love writing and how much I love the community, as I've already typed out more than I'd originally planned. Getting into the present, I want to touch on some more realistic topics, such as my motivations, fears, and goals.
I have many different motivations. I am motivated most because of the undying support I have from my community. I've made so many friends on my social media journey, and I owe it to their motivation (and I won't lie, the pressure of so many eyes) to keep me writing poetry. As for my prose writing, I am motivated by the numerous amount of books I read and absolutely adore.
I think that I have pretty standard fears, being a writer. I worry that I will not be successful in doing the thing that I love the most. I fear that I will lose the spark that started me on this journey so long ago. I am deeply frightened at the prospect of so many eyes on something that I am so protective and passionate about. I think that every writer goes through these thoughts, so just know you're not alone if you are thinking of these possibilities.
Goals are another thing that can stress me out, but to make progress, it is very important to have goals that you're striving toward. Here are some writing goals that I'm working toward this year.
Publish my first poetry book "i hold my hands together without weeping" (Coming May 21st, 2023)
Possibly publish a poetry chapbook that I have been working on
Continue working on the sequel to Never-Ending Nightmares
Continue working on my Old Friends to Lovers novel
I would love to hear why you started writing, or if our stories are similar. Thank you so much for reading, and see you next week with another book review!
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