I don’t just write my books, I also write for me. I write to clear my head, I write to process an issue, I write to figure out my ideas, I write to ‘get it out’ and I write for fun.
Like most writers, I started writing when I was very young and the habit has stuck. Writing has helped me deal with issues and loss, it helps me cope with those things today still. When I have a big decision (selling our house!), I sit and write pros and cons. When we lost our beloved Lobo, writing him a letter telling him how much I missed him helped me let him go. Sure, I write my books, but writing is also a tool that helps me ground myself and keep balance.
Of course, I found a post that explains the benefits of writing. And another, and another and another. They claim that writing makes you happier, more intelligent, more persuasive…The benefits go on and on.
Do you write for fun? Do you journal? Would you say it makes you happier? Relaxes you? More intelligent? 🙂
Taylor Grace 
I write for fun. It’s cheap entertainment.
LOL. It certainly is!
I love that we all tend to have our own reasons for writing but that in the end it always boils down to a real feeling of passion; almost a compulsion rather than a choice 🙂
I write fiction because I love storytelling and I write poetry to rid my mind of the thoughts that try to sit there and bother me.
Great post! 🙂
That’s a great idea! To write to get rid of thoughts that bug you!…I love that!
Since my time to write is limited, I have focused primarily on novels for a long time. But once I started blogging, it became the sort of thing I could do instead of journals or letters or other forms of personal writing, and yet was still a way to build a writer’s platform. I never understood why writers would spend time on short stories or writing prompts, but in a way I get that now that I blog. It’s great to express an idea and not spend more than a few hours on it. Helps clear the mind so I can focus on novel writing.
Ahhh…I used to wonder that exact thing! Thanks for that comment!
I surprised myself when my cat died out of nowhere and the first thing I did after burying him was get on the blog and write about what made him special. It helped, as every time I got depressed and sad I’d pull up the post I’d written and feel better about it all.
And I’m very guilty of writing the stories I want to read. I just hope others want to read them too.
I’ve heard that’s the key to good writing. And it makes a lot of sense to me that writing about your cat helped. Writing about my dog helped me.
Yes! I am absolutely the same way. Writing is as part of me as my heart is. It has helped me through so many things, both directly and indirectly. At the end of the day whether I end up a published author or not, I always write for myself, and because I can’t just not write.
That’s it exactly. “Because I can’t not write”. That’s it. I love how you put it.
I write because it challenges me, focuses my distracted brain, and allows my fantastic (I think:)) characters to live. Also, I get a chance to express basic beliefs about life in general – something you can’t always do in polite company!
I love that comment! Funny but so true!
All you say is true–writing makes us more intelligent, more persuasive (want to buy some prime florida real estate), and especially prettier. Writing makes hair more manageable and extends engine life, too. Why do I write? The thing is, like all serial offenders, I write because I can’t not write. I just have to do it.
I get you, I really do. I’m just like that!
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