This is my response to the Office of Letters and Light's #My1stStory campaign. I don't have a Facebook, Twitter, or Tumbler, so I'm posting this here instead.
My first story was about a girl who lived in a magical world who had lots of pretty dresses, and lots of books. I wanted to be her, so I created her. It was the first spark to my creative fire.
WRITING MATTERS
http://blog.lettersandlight.org/storiesmatter
Showing posts with label why do i write. Show all posts
Showing posts with label why do i write. Show all posts
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Reasons for Writing
1. Things get clearer when I write them down. I don't know about you, but my thoughts make more sense on paper. This is one reason I prefer emails to phone calls. If I have a little time to prepare my thoughts in writing, they will end up much clearer. Sometimes I realize that I want to something totally different when I start writing them down.
2. I learn a lot about myself when I write. I used to write 750 words a day, every day, and it is a great exercise. It never mattered what I wrote about, so long as I wrote. 750 words is a great number, because it is just enough to be hard. Sometimes I would start out with something like a to do list, but that doesn't take up three whole pages. Three pages takes some effort, and by the end, you start really getting into what your own head. It's odd to suddenly realize what it is that has been bothering you for a week when you see it on the page in front of you, but that happens to me a lot. I am not currently writing everyday, but I hope to start up again soon.
3. It's an accomplishment. I have just created something that didn't exist before, whether it is a short story, or a poem, an essay, a to do list, or this blog post. It is a new piece of creativity that wasn't there before, and that's something to be happy about.
4. Somebody (I can't remember who) once said that each year, their NaNoWriMo novel is "less bad" then the one they wrote the year before. I think this is totally true. Every time I write something, even if I don't feel like it is much better then my last thing, is less bad. That one mistake in my last essay isn't in this one. It's not a lot, but it's something. The more I write, the less bad I get. :)
5. I write to learn how. Every time I write something, there is something I don't know. There is a word I can't figure out the plural possessive spelling for, or a compound-complex sentence I can't remember how to punctuate, or a character I can't figure out how to make more empathetic. Each of these is a learning experience, and next time, those won't be problems. I've never taken a creative writing class, and only one on essay writing, but I learn from experience. If I get a bad grade on an essay, I figure out why. Next time, I'll still have problems, but they won't be the same problems. If there is something I really don't like about my story, I read it over and over until I figure out why, and try to fix it.
There are my top five reasons to write. What are yours? Tell me in the comments!
I think everybody can benefit from writing, even if you're not really much of a writer. Write a poem, or a short story, or try free writing. No one has to see it, and I'll bet you'll learn something from it, if you know what to look for.
2. I learn a lot about myself when I write. I used to write 750 words a day, every day, and it is a great exercise. It never mattered what I wrote about, so long as I wrote. 750 words is a great number, because it is just enough to be hard. Sometimes I would start out with something like a to do list, but that doesn't take up three whole pages. Three pages takes some effort, and by the end, you start really getting into what your own head. It's odd to suddenly realize what it is that has been bothering you for a week when you see it on the page in front of you, but that happens to me a lot. I am not currently writing everyday, but I hope to start up again soon.
3. It's an accomplishment. I have just created something that didn't exist before, whether it is a short story, or a poem, an essay, a to do list, or this blog post. It is a new piece of creativity that wasn't there before, and that's something to be happy about.
4. Somebody (I can't remember who) once said that each year, their NaNoWriMo novel is "less bad" then the one they wrote the year before. I think this is totally true. Every time I write something, even if I don't feel like it is much better then my last thing, is less bad. That one mistake in my last essay isn't in this one. It's not a lot, but it's something. The more I write, the less bad I get. :)
5. I write to learn how. Every time I write something, there is something I don't know. There is a word I can't figure out the plural possessive spelling for, or a compound-complex sentence I can't remember how to punctuate, or a character I can't figure out how to make more empathetic. Each of these is a learning experience, and next time, those won't be problems. I've never taken a creative writing class, and only one on essay writing, but I learn from experience. If I get a bad grade on an essay, I figure out why. Next time, I'll still have problems, but they won't be the same problems. If there is something I really don't like about my story, I read it over and over until I figure out why, and try to fix it.
There are my top five reasons to write. What are yours? Tell me in the comments!
I think everybody can benefit from writing, even if you're not really much of a writer. Write a poem, or a short story, or try free writing. No one has to see it, and I'll bet you'll learn something from it, if you know what to look for.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Do I Like to Write?
This is another installment in my "Why Do I Write" series. This post really questions if me liking is any part of it.
Do I Like to Write? This morning, I wasn't so sure I did. I hadn't really written anything meaningful in months, and I was questioning why I even bothered. I decided it was time to go over my various writing projects, and think about why I did them, and if I liked it. This was what I came up with.
My first serious writing project began when I was seven years old. I decided that I wanted to publish a "newspaper" for my family and friends. I went around collecting money from people, and then I went to my mom for help. She, understandably was a little hesitant at first. She realized that she would be doing most of the work, but she still agreed. I am so grateful to her for that. For two years, I wrote articles about school, and field trips, and holidays, and books, and everything else I could think of. When I was done, I gave them all to her, and she typed them up, printed them out, and once a month, we sent out the Classical Academy News. When I was about ten, I took over the typing. I emailed the articles to her, and she formatted them and printed them out. By that time, CAN was a very different thing than when we started out.
Did I like it? Not always. I often had unmet deadlines, stuck printers, and unpaid subscriptions. So, why did I keep doing it for nearly four years? I did it for that feeling that came when I held the printed newsletter in my hands each month. It was only four pages long, and I only had fifteen subscribers, but for me, it was amazing. One time, I wrote a review of a field trip to a small, local book binding company we went on. The mom who organized the field trips was one of the subscribers, and she emailed me after she read it. She liked it so much that she wanted to know if she could send it to the book binding company to read! The feeling I got right then is why I write.
Maybe that is not really an answer to the question, "Do I like to write?" So, I'll answer it with another question, "Does it really matter if I like writing while I am doing it? Or is the feeling of success afterwards enough?"
Fellow writers, what do you think? Do you like the act of writing? Do you think it matters? Let me know in the comments!
Do I Like to Write? This morning, I wasn't so sure I did. I hadn't really written anything meaningful in months, and I was questioning why I even bothered. I decided it was time to go over my various writing projects, and think about why I did them, and if I liked it. This was what I came up with.
My first serious writing project began when I was seven years old. I decided that I wanted to publish a "newspaper" for my family and friends. I went around collecting money from people, and then I went to my mom for help. She, understandably was a little hesitant at first. She realized that she would be doing most of the work, but she still agreed. I am so grateful to her for that. For two years, I wrote articles about school, and field trips, and holidays, and books, and everything else I could think of. When I was done, I gave them all to her, and she typed them up, printed them out, and once a month, we sent out the Classical Academy News. When I was about ten, I took over the typing. I emailed the articles to her, and she formatted them and printed them out. By that time, CAN was a very different thing than when we started out.
Did I like it? Not always. I often had unmet deadlines, stuck printers, and unpaid subscriptions. So, why did I keep doing it for nearly four years? I did it for that feeling that came when I held the printed newsletter in my hands each month. It was only four pages long, and I only had fifteen subscribers, but for me, it was amazing. One time, I wrote a review of a field trip to a small, local book binding company we went on. The mom who organized the field trips was one of the subscribers, and she emailed me after she read it. She liked it so much that she wanted to know if she could send it to the book binding company to read! The feeling I got right then is why I write.
Maybe that is not really an answer to the question, "Do I like to write?" So, I'll answer it with another question, "Does it really matter if I like writing while I am doing it? Or is the feeling of success afterwards enough?"
Fellow writers, what do you think? Do you like the act of writing? Do you think it matters? Let me know in the comments!
Monday, February 25, 2013
Why Do I Write: A New Series
I am going to start a new series called Why Do I Write? I am not sure how often I will post in it, but I am thinking maybe twice a month or so. In it, I will explore the various aspects of writing and try to discover exactly why I keep doing it.
I will talk about all kinds of writing: fiction, and non-fiction; writing for pleasure, and writing for school. I will talk about my writing future (or lack there of), and I will talk about my life without writing.
One important part of this series will be you participation. If you write, or even if you don't, do you agree with my points? Do you have something of your own to add? Do you have a reason (or question) for writing that you think I should write about further in the series? I want to know!
I will talk about all kinds of writing: fiction, and non-fiction; writing for pleasure, and writing for school. I will talk about my writing future (or lack there of), and I will talk about my life without writing.
One important part of this series will be you participation. If you write, or even if you don't, do you agree with my points? Do you have something of your own to add? Do you have a reason (or question) for writing that you think I should write about further in the series? I want to know!
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