How I Reawakened My Love of Writing

A little self-reflection goes a long way.

I am a relatively new writer here on Medium. I’ve only been actively posting for about a week and a half. A fellow writer recently challenged me to expand on the notion of why I write. I thought that was an excellent idea, and it also might provide me with a way to introduce myself further.

Please sit back and relax as I tell you the tale of my writing journey thus far.

History

I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember. Ever since I was a little girl, there have been ideas floating around in my head, characters speaking to me, and far away places begging me to bring them to life. I would spend hours writing short stories and “novels” to my heart’s content. I got a lot of enjoyment out of creating stories. Simply put, it was fun.

I think my passion for writing originally stemmed from becoming an avid reader. My father taught me to read when I was around four years old. We spent hours pouring over picture books each day. He patiently sat with me and slowly but surely taught me how to make those letters and words I saw on the page come alive. That fostered a passionate love of reading that I still carry with me to this day. I cannot go a single day without reading something.

How did this lead me down the path of writing? First and foremost, it gave me a love of the written word. My vocabulary expanded greatly with each new book I read. I discovered that words can have immense power — to educate, make people think, and create whole new worlds in people’s minds. I wanted to master that power.

Life intervenes

When I was younger, I wanted to make writing my future career. But then life happened. As I got older, I started to deal with more real-world issues. I spent less and less time in the fictional realm. I never lost my love for writing, but the way I used it shifted course.

As a teenager, I struggled with insecurity and self-esteem issues. My thoughts would often race in detrimental circles in my head. I discovered that the only way to let them go and clear my mind was to write them down. Once the words and thoughts took tangible form in front of me, I no longer needed to dwell on them. I could finally move on.

I still find this to be true today. There’s just something so cathartic about writing. Nothing helps me make sense of my world more than merely writing my thoughts down on paper.

As time went on, I stopped writing fictional stories altogether. Somewhere along the way, my passion for creative writing went into hiding. I didn’t realize at the time how much it would be missed.

Discovering Medium

So how did I end up here?

It all started with a scavenger hunt. Every year, I participate in GISH — otherwise known as the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt. This year featured a task involving writing an essay to explain “What is GISH?” and publishing it on Medium.

You can read it here if you wish to learn more:

Writing that essay awakened something inside of me. I rediscovered my long-buried passion for creative writing. Instead of just publishing the article for the GISH task and forgetting about it, I decided to dig a little deeper into the Medium site. I immediately fell in love with the prospect of having the freedom to write anything I wanted, as well as having a place to publish my work for others to see.

Suddenly, I was inspired again! I started effortlessly brainstorming possible writing topics, and I had soon filled an entire page with ideas. I decided to dive right in and brave the waters by telling my personal story first.

Writing this piece was incredibly therapeutic for me, but I’ll admit I was slightly terrified to share it with the rest of the world. I don’t think I have ever been more vulnerable in my writing. This one means a lot to me.

Thankfully, I have received a lot of lovely feedback on that article.

After posting that piece, the inspiration started flowing freely, and I have been writing again ever since.

My writing process

As for my actual process, it starts with an idea. I’ve discovered that for me, at least, I have to write what I’m feeling at any given moment. If I have an idea for an article but for whatever reason I’m not feeling it, there is no point in continuing to fight with it. I set it aside and come back to it later on.

Secondly, I write what I know. I share the knowledge I have gained through personal experience, and I try to tell my stories in an engaging way to keep the reader interested. I don’t know how successful I’ve been at this, but I know that I write from a place of honesty and emotion, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

When I’m writing a first draft, I tend to ramble a lot. I write whatever ideas come into my head, and it usually leads to a giant, jumbled mess. I start thinking that I’m never going to get a coherent story out of this constant babbling. But somewhere along the way, I begin to picture the finished product. I start organizing and planning the format of the page in my head. Before I know it, my mess has turned into a finished piece.

I’m still new to this writing format, and I am still very much out of practice when it comes to writing in general. I’m not going to let that discourage me though. Instead, I see it as an opportunity for me to continue learning and growing as a writer.

Final thoughts

Why do I write?

In the end, it boils down to this: it’s a part of me. I neglected that part for far too long, but now I am embracing it wholeheartedly. Writing allows me the freedom to express thoughts and emotions I would otherwise have a hard time sharing with others. I stopped writing for quite a while, but now that I’ve started again, I think about writing all the time. I’m excited to come home from work each day and get those creative juices flowing.

Maybe someday I’ll even return to those fictional worlds I loved creating so much as a child. Until then, I’m going with the flow and writing whatever inspires me at the moment.

I hope you all continue to do the same.

Thank you to the person who originally posted the “why do you write?” question in one of my Facebook writing groups, and to Rachel Lynn for inspiring me to expand upon it further.