Why I Write

For me, writing isn't a job. It's a passion.
For me, writing isn't a job, it's a passion

by Deb Ng

One of my first freelance writing gigs was a weekly online humor column. I worked full time however, so I did much of my writing during the morning and evening commutes – an hour each way. It came to pass that no matter what I was doing – working, watching TV, washing the dishes, walking in the subway – I was writing. I was forming sentences and ideas and kept playing with those ideas until I could find a keyboard or pen and paper. It’s like I couldn’t shut off the words in my head.

It’s always been that way for me.  Even when I was younger I kept journals and notebooks to store my ideas. I look through many of them now and laugh, but it seems I always had to write something. When teachers would assign papers or essays other kids would groan but not me. I’d eagerly plan my topic and outline and couldn’t wait to go home and begin.

I write because it’s what I was destined to do. Even if I had to work in a cube farm, I’d still be writing. I don’t have a choice. I think if I didn’t write my head would explode. I know I must look so silly to some jotting down ideas or talking into my keyring at the most interesting moments. I can’t help it though, the wheels are constantly turning. Writing isn’t a job or a hobby. It’s a passion. It’s an addiction. It’s something I couldn’t give up if I tried.

Why do you write?

Please follow and like us:
Facebook0
Facebook
X (Twitter)65k
Visit Us
Follow Me
Instagram6k

Posted

in

by

david

Tags:

, , , ,

Comments

16 responses
  1. Lou Paun Avatar
    Lou Paun

    Well, yes.

    Sometimes I run into people I haven’t seen for years, and they ask, “Are you still writing?” I think, “Am I still breathing? Yes.”

    Reply
  2. Janet Shan Avatar
    Janet Shan

    I stumbled across your website while searching for freelance writing jobs and I must say I have found your site to be very informative and helpful. I started freelance writing about two years ago and I must say that the experience has been mostly rewarding, with the exception of one client who pays extremely slow. I have always written in some capacity through the years and I do so because I have to. I get satisfaction from being engrossed in the written word. Thank you for becoming a regular part of my day.

    Reply
  3. Jodee Avatar
    Jodee

    That’s an easy one…because it’s who I am, not what I do.

    Reply
  4. Jennifer Avatar
    Jennifer

    When I started reading this post, I answered the question myself with “If I didn’t, my head would explode” before I even got to the part where you said yours would explode. I was driving home from carpool and got an idea of a blog post. I tried to push it out of my head and it wouldn’t leave. I had to rearrange my projects so I could write it because I couldn’t do anything else until I wrote the article.

    Reply
  5. liz Avatar
    liz

    This is why I write: http://lizfulghum.com/whyiwrite.html

    Reply
  6. Thursday Bram Avatar
    Thursday Bram

    A friend of my mom’s with a newsletter asked me to write a few articles while I was still in high school. I did it as a favor — it was a topic that I was interested in, and I liked writing as a hobby.

    Imagine my surprise when I actually got a check for my writing. It was a novel concept for me: I could sit in front of my computer, type some stuff and make money from it.

    I’m not about to stop doing something I enjoy (and get paid for) in favor of a job I’m sure I would hate.

    Reply
  7. Shandu Avatar
    Shandu

    As I was reading your post it felt as though I was reading my own words. Every sense I can remember I have been writing. I too kept journasl growing up and still do. I just recently read some of them and had fun laughing at myself but was amazed at how I saw myself grow up all over again through my words. The funniest part if my writing to me is I am not a great speller and do not like grammar but can always manage to mve someone with my words. I write because I am an artist of words and it is in my heart.

    Reply
  8. Robin Marie Avatar
    Robin Marie

    I’m like the rest of you. I’ve written since I knew what letters were and learned that they made up words. I always came up with stories, daydreaming on my walks to school or driving somewhere, and even making up stories about the people who came into the candy store I worked in while in high school.
    I’ve always had to make time for writing. Whenever I’m not writing, I’m not happy. In fact, I’m barely surviving.

    Reply
  9. Cheryl Wright Avatar
    Cheryl Wright

    I write because I must; I can’t help it. It is the one thing I am insanely passionate about. I can;t imagine a day without writing whether it is for work or for pleasure. Sometimes I write just for the sake of writing – for no apparent reason I pick up a pen and notebook and begin scribbling words, raw thoughts.

    I believe I might shrivel up and die if I don’t write or if for some reason I am unable to write.

    Why do I write? Because I am a writer; that’s what I do.

    Reply
  10. Jewel/Pink Ink Avatar
    Jewel/Pink Ink

    Yesterday, my husband said it would drive him nuts if he thought about his work (he’s a veterinarian) outside of work. I told him that as a writer, I think about my present project all the time.

    Is this odd? Do you feel this way, too? I mean, I know you write, but do you think about it all the time, too?

    Reply
  11. Phil Avatar
    Phil

    Because I have a messy desk (three actually) 🙂

    At parent teachers conference in first grade, teacher told my mother Phil is a good student, “except he has a very messy desk…I had another student like that once, he became a newspaper reporter.

    I spent 13 years (plus 4 in college) as a newspaper reporter.

    Reply
  12. Gina D. Avatar
    Gina D.

    I’m a writer by profession, and my focus is political writing. It’s interesting, though, in that I don’t write because writing itself is my passion. I write because I believe I have something to say — a cause to support. While I enjoy the craft, if I couldn’t write fora month — or two months — I’d probably be ok. So for me, writing is a means to an end rather than an end in itself.

    Reply
  13. Joey Avatar
    Joey

    I took so many left turns that I do not know how I ended up here. I enjoyed reading about your passion for writing. I remember now, I ended up here while searching for serious bloggers that know how to communicate…not just one sided bloggers. Anyway, I’ll step away from that soapbox. I love to write and that is where I find the real me. I love the feel of it, I love the way it makes others feel when I write about something I have meditated on, and I love others that write from there own meditations. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  14. Melissa Avatar
    Melissa

    I don’t think I could ever teach writing. I started classes toward my Master’s in Professional Writing and the course where I lost interest was Teaching Writing. Well, I think I lost interest because I decided I really didn’t need to get a Master’s in something that I have been doing all my life, in a field that I believe you only get better at by doing.

    But the connection between thought and written word is so strong for me that I could never spend time trying to coax that connection out of those for whom it’s not natural. In fact, I often feel I don’t truly think something until I express it in writing.

    Reply
  15. Omar Avatar
    Omar

    I love to write because it releases every day stress and its a gift from God. Also, I enjoy creating. Hearing someone say, you did a great job. It’s my destiny. My goal is to make a living as a writer which I know I can do.

    Reply
  16. Laura-Jane - Whimfield Avatar
    Laura-Jane – Whimfield

    Me too, me too, me too!

    I’m always writing in my head. I can’t help it. As others wrote, it’s just part of who I am.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Search

Subscribe