"Why"- It Matters
Just Answer the Question.
The dreaded question: Why? Why do you do what you do? Why is this your goal? Why start now?
Yikes… I can feel the stress rising.
To be honest, my common answers skirt around the truth, whether consciously or not, and most often as a result of not recognizing or acknowledging what the answer is. Because if I wanted to really know, that means having to sit down with myself and evaluating. Why indeed?
If you don’t know me, I’m a writer who specializes in epic fantasy Tolkienesque style. That means, I will break down the worldbuilding components of most media I consume, and when it comes to my own writing… well, let’s just say I match a certain freak level of creating functional languages.
But why did I become a writer? The short answer: I love creating stories. I was lucky enough to grow up in a household where imagination was met with genuine encouragement. I was never taught that the Arts were any less important than STEM— whose subjects I didn’t always excel in. So when it came to creativity, I was always secure.
The long answer, however… is a bit more complicated than that. See, I wasn’t a good writer for a VERY long time. My highschool Honors teacher told me that to my face. And it happened again in college while studying for my WRITING degree! Obviously, I was missing something.
It took until my college professor refused to tell me what I was missing. Sitting at my desk, frustrated and defeated, I brainstormed every possible writing habit that could be killing my grade. Then the realization unfolded like the soft shadow of midnight. I had no idea why I was studying writing in the first place.
Originally, I was a piano performance student— something I poured every ounce of my being into because I knew how to make the piano tap into my voice. Then I switched to writing because… I liked it? Sure. But that’s not enough.
Plunged into the throes of the unasked, this was the moment I had to decide who I was and what I was doing. Writing because “I like telling stories” wasn’t enough. It never had been and never would be. Why? Because it didn’t make me dedicated to learning how to tell a good story.
Writing because I wanted to express myself through the medium in which I am most comfortable… it’s a start. At least it gives a reason for the hours of practice and study of all those methods and techniques.
But writing because I believe in the foundational impact and importance of words and stories that outlast lifetimes and hundreds of years, and finding myself being able to harness that medium to engage and impact others? Now that’s a reason.
Identifying this answer has drastically changed my life and my writing style (and I’m proud to say that no teacher or professor ever commented on a lack of writing abilities again).
With that, it’s time I welcome you to the Writing Roost. I’m glad you’re here, and I hope you stick around. While you rest, take a moment to find your why, no matter how small or large the answer may be. Take your time if you need, I promise it’s worth it.