Why I Write

Those who know me best know that I'm a writer. It's a piece of who I am.

But something has been said to me multiple times lately that's bothered me. It irritates me as well as motivates me yet it hurts.

It's "why do you do you write?" "You're not a professional unless you're published right?" "Do you want to get 'big'?" "You know that probably won't happen right?" "Good luck with that" (sarcastically). 

I want to be clear in my response for me and anyone else who might be reading this. 

I don't write because I want thousands or millions of people to read it. I don't write because I'm craving attention. I don't write because I want approval or compliments. I don't write to share it on Facebook or Twitter or any social media outlet in the hopes it will go viral. I don't write to get published. I don't write in desperation that one day I'll make money.  

I write because I love it. 

Glory is not a goal. Neither is recognition. 

It's like breathing, I don't know how I'd survive without it. I've struggled with inner cynicism and negativity and confidence issues my whole life. Writing is my therapy, my medication, and more than anything (because I journal them throughout the day) my prayers to The Living God.

As my bio on this blog states, I write things here to have an impact on someone. If it's a fellow reader then that's awesome. I couldn't ask for more than to have an influence on another human being's life. But often, the person my writing have an impact on is me. 

Writing words down onto a page (or phone or tablet) helps to keep myself lively and seek out light and goodness. It silences my strong tendencies to be upset or stressed or angry or negative and helps the darkness inside me be vanquished. More often than not, I don't know what I'm trying to say until I'm done writing. It's as if someone else wrote it. And the finished product ends up being words I needed to hear and help lift my spirit.

I don't do it for any other purpose. 

So if you're still reading this, know that I will continue to write here. I will continue to write poems. I will continue to write sermons. I will continue to write books.

I might release pieces by myself on Amazon or Smashwords or other "self-published" locations. I might send them to publishers and hope to get a response. I might keep them completely to myself. 

It doesn't matter to me what happens. 

In the end, I'm writing.

And that's what I love.