WRITING | ILLUMINATION
Why Do We Write And How Do We Achieve Our Why?
An invitation to bring a cuppa, pull up a chair and share your thoughts.
Recently I wrote an article and asked, Do you get value from a short form? Reading the comments inspired me to think about - why do we write and how do we achieve our why?
Some write for money. I am quite attached to eating and sleeping in a comfy bed myself, so earning is a nice thing. However, there are far easier and quicker ways to earn money. So why put in all the hours? What drives us to spend our time this way?
At the core, what are we trying to achieve with our writing? Is it all about earning and marketing? Or is it about something more?
Reasons other than money to write:
🖋 Share an idea or information.
🖋 Connect and have a conversation.
🖋 Engage in THE conversation, continued through the ages in the form of writing, shared between the living and those no longer in this world.
🖋 Understand ourselves.
🖋 Gain an understanding of each other and the world around us.
🖋 Share our human experience.
It’s about connection. A connection of ideas. A connection with ourselves and others. A connection with the world we have the privilege of experiencing.
To share ideas and engage in conversation, writers need readers.
We need to write in a way that invites the reader to join us. It’s about presenting value in a form that it can be received. It isn’t just about the words or the number of words we use. Did we share something of value? Did the reader stop to read it?
While clear writing is important, some incorrect grammar is not. Please don’t hate on me for saying that. I am sure you could find many mistakes in my writing. An experienced writer could do this better. But have I done a good enough job that you can hear what I have to say?
Writing is more about what we have to say.
How many people hold back from sharing important insights and knowledge? Worried about format, writing rules, and not doing it right! Worried they won’t meet the required standards. That is our loss. How much value are we missing out on because people hold back? Holding back because they worry people will judge them for their imperfections, rather than focus on the ideas they seek to share.
Don’t get me wrong, format and clear writing is key. If we want the reader to discover what we have to say, we have to wrap it in a neat package of easy-to-read words. But we also have to write to become a better a writer and thus have our words heard.
The sharing of ideas requires a format that supports this exchange.
A long form article allows a deeper discussion. A short form article can get the conversation started and maybe lead to something deeper. Either way, have the reader and writer shared an idea and a connection?
Other Reasons We Write Are To:
🖋 Document and record, so we can learn now and from the past.
🖋 Find the common ground, where we can connect despite our differences.
🖋 Unite, rather than divide (hopefully!).
🖋 Love and understand, rather than hate and kill.
The list could go on…
We write for something more important than money.
The form our writing takes is secondary to what we have to say.
Does our writing invite the reader to stop and join in conversation?
☕ What are your thoughts on why we write and how we achieve it?
Don't wait until when…to start:
