I truly believe I would go insane if not for writing. No, it’s true! I know people say all the time “I can’t live without books” or “I can’t live without my cat” or “I can’t live without chocolate” (wait that one is true.) But I WOULD go insane without writing. They’d put me in a place for crazy people. (What’s that called again? An asylum?) There are several reasons that I’ve grown to depend on writing. Like, for instance:
Sometimes people drive me NUTTY! I’m not always good at socializing. Or getting along with people. It’s why I much prefer fictional people; they never get on my nerves. Sometimes – well, MOST of the time – I end up writing furiously in my journals about so-in-so and how they make my blood absolutely, positively BOIL… and yes I cringe at old diary entries but it got my blood back down to a normal temperature at the time. Something about getting my crazy thoughts on paper is so refreshing. And when that backfires because I’m terrified someone might find my diary someday and call the cops, I rename people and kill them off in my stories. Don’t judge. You know you do it too.
The best writing is emotional. I write all the time, even when I’m chill. But when I’m downright bloody mad or sobbing with salty, pitiful tears running down my ruddy cheeks (see? emotional!)… that’s when my writing is the best. It’s raw. It may seem a tad melodramatic later (because I am a very dramatic person, and I may have been an actor in another life) but it’s REAL.
MY writing could someday give someone else life, too! Isn’t that the most amazing thought? If you’re a writer, or a reader (which I know the majority of you are, unless you’re my cousin who says she dislikes books and makes me downright BLOODY MAD… oh hey, Sydney) you know what I mean. Don’t we LOVE books that make us think, that make us cry? The writer of those stories thought to share their writings and it affected us in a great way. Shared writing is incredible; powerful, even. In fact, I may make another post on why books give me life. WE WRITERS MUST STICK TOGETHER!
It’s much more reliable than talking. Oh, I’m a mess of a talker. True, I love discussing things and debating and sharing my thoughts with my family and friends… but I feel like it all comes out warbled and messy – my words are just all over the place! For example, if I was talking with my mom or dad about why writing gives me life, here I would have said “It comes out so much better than talking.” Now doesn’t “I’m a mess of a talker, it comes out warbled, much more reliable” sound loads better?? I stopped for a moment and googled synonyms and thought to myself “now what could I say here…” and it looks much nicer. My words on a screen or paper – whatever it may be – make me feel something more.
Writing is timeless. Look at Jane Austen. Look at Emily Dickinson, or Charles Dickens. They could never have imagined how long their writing would LIVE. They died years ago, but their writing is still very much alive. And even though they wrote it in another time, another place, CENTURIES ago… it still affects people. I like to think that my kids and grand kids will thumb through all the journals that take up so much space in my room (seriously. so. much. space.) and laugh at tiny 11-year-old or 12 or 13 or 14-year-old Emily and think “if Grandma could survive little sisters and mean girls at school, so can I!” Even if the only people who ever read what I wrote is my family, it’s enough. It’s enough to know that someone understood me, and it’s fascinating to have parts of my life documented.
Looking back. That brings me to my next point, and I’ve said it many, many times here. I LOVE reading my old writing. I can see how far I’ve come in just a few weeks, months, or years. I can see how I felt then. I can laugh at myself or cry or just smile. It’s COOL, okay?! Again, it’s just fascinating to have parts of my life documented – even if it’s only for my eyes to see.
If you don’t write already, you SHOULD. I don’t write all the time. Sometimes I won’t touch a notebook for weeks or months. I have notebooks where I write ideas for stories, and notebooks where I write about my everyday life. (“I had a PB&J for lunch.” “I lost my cat today.”) If that’s all you write, it’s still important! It’s like a physical “Time Hop.” (That’s an app where you can see what you posted one, two, three, and so forth, years ago on this day.)
SO, in honor of writing, and in hopes that you’ll take up a notebook and write anything at all down, I’m giving away this journal! It’s from Barnes & Noble, and pictures are below. Plus I just bought it for myself, so whoever wins can be notebook twinsies with me! 🙂 Please read the guidelines below and get going! 🙂
- You have two weeks to enter. The giveaway ends on October 9, 2015. The winner will be announced shortly after on my blog and will receive an email from me.
- The winner will have 48 hours to respond to my email; if you don’t respond sooner I will choose another winner.
- The giveaway is open to US residents only, please. Sorry to any international blog readers! (INT giveaways are headed your way soon, I promise!)
so do YOU write? what about? why? is there anything i forgot on my list? can’t wait to read your writings below. 🙂
Yes! Love the post! Waited ALL day for it! 🙂 I’m still a baby writer. Just starting. I do enjoy keeping a journa . At times I don’t write in for months or I write in it everyday for a week. Or I just doodle in it while watching a movie ( there may or may not be some miniture Cinderella sketches in there…). But its calming to get your thoughts on paper.
Entering giveaway!! I have high hopes for this giveaway! 🙂
Haha I know! Speaking of: UGH I need to write a review for today! You know I may end up just skipping today and doing a Top Ten Tuesday for like the first time in forever, LOL. Would that be good?? I know several people have said they miss me doing TTT’s. 😉 It’s been since December or January I think!
Oh, that’s okay. Baby writers, welcome to the family!
OMG, I do that too. Definitely soothing. It’s scientific that writing/doodling reduces stress.
Best of luck to you!
Ooh I just had to comment how lovely that notebook is! Barnes and Noble just sells the cutest stuff, right? Anyway, I totally agree with every point. I, too, am very dramatic (and don’t my parents sure let me know) but writing helps to simmer that down. With our words, we have to use them in order to convey a tone, rather than watch me flail around trying to explain something (which I often can’t).
Also, why else should we write?
Because it’s important to record! How else would we know about Ancient civilization, booming empires and wars? Because people wrote them down! It’s how we learn about our ancestors (yes my mom is currently on an ancestry.com binge, and my gosh I’ve learned an ancestor of mine is a writer! She had a book published and it’s like $130 on Amazon lol)
But anyway, lovely post! *enters contest* 😀
Isn’t it the cutest?? I do believe it was made for me.
Haha, same; no shame! (Did not mean to rhyme, but that’s the poet in me, right?)
That was beautiful, Grace. LOVE. If you watch this one video of me meeting a favorite author, I actually start jumping up and down. NO JOKE. And my family thinks I’m kidding when I use the word “flail.” I truly do! (You can see that hilarious meeting here, LOL.)
YES, what an excellent point!! Oh my goodness, Ancestory is amazing! A tad scary that all that information is out there… buuut pretty awesome! I’ve looked at it many times before, it’s sooo neat.
Oh wow! What is the title? That’s so cool!
Thank you! Good luck. 🙂 I can’t to see who wins.
I have tons of little notebooks with little stories. I have a few beautiful notebooks that I haven’t used yet. In this notebook I would write about writing things. Great giveaway
Same. They’re all over my bedroom; but sometimes notebooks are so pretty I don’t even want to ruin them! 🙂 Thanks, Lu.
That’s my exact problem too!
Looking back on my old writing is so embarrassing! Even if I’m not reading it to anyone, I feel my face get hot when I realize what was going through my mind that day. I looked back on all my old diary entries and let me tell you, I am SO happy I don’t have the same interests I had when I was eleven and twelve. like you, some of my pages where filled with scribbles or even crayon writing because I had gotten so mad I locked myself in my room and I didn’t want to go out. So I looked for the next best thing to a pencil, and I found a stub of a red crayon. Gosh, I was dramatic!! 😛 Although, it’s fun to see how much I’ve grown as a person and a writer. 🙂
That notebook is SO cute!!! Thanks for the giveaway!! 😀
Oh my, same. Especially my diaries from 3rd and 5th grade. (I didn’t keep one in 4th for some reason)… I was a tad boy-crazy back then, too, so there’s that. Haha, no judgement here!! I’d never want to share some of my writing with others, buuuut. I also still want to be able to look at it. Glad someone else feels my embarrassment, lol!
I know I love it! No problem, I love doing giveaways!
I love writing! And, I agree with all of them 100 percent. I think one more thing about writing is that it teaches you something.
AH! That notebook is so darn cute! I really want it 🙂
Also, i write because it just makes me feel so much better and I love making a character that can be anything you aren’t. Like how I’m short. I make my characters tall most of the time. Little things like that. Plus, it’s like you’ve known them your whole entire life
Yes, it definitely does! You can learn things from your OWN writing, and that’s powerful.
I know, I love it so much!!
I agree. It’s like making your own alter-ego and you have the power to make them HOWEVER you want. I have so many little people talking to me in my head! 😀
So true! 🙂
YES! Writing is LIFE! I write a daily (almost daily) journal before bed, it helps me wind down, and I like to go back and read what I wrote months before XD And I also write poetry and stories…..My dream is to be a published author 🙂 Hope I win! ;P And awesome post Emily!
That’s so smart. I would like to be able to write consistently everyday, but I’m so lazy 99% of the time and it just doesn’t happen.
Aw, me too. We can be writer buddies! I’ll be able to say I knew you way-back-when. Well, on the internet, that is. But how cool would it be to meet up at our future book signings?? To dream. 😀 Thank you!
Oh my gosh Emily, BEAUTIFUL POST. If this blog post were a person, I could literally hug it! <3
I like to consider myself a writer, even if sometimes I give up on writing or I feel like writing is of no point to me anymore. But every writer goes through the phase of giving up, and that's pretty much okay so long as they keep trying 😀 Anyway, I love writing as much as you do! My family (and friends) don't see how in love I am with the written word. They think my love for books and writing are "over-exaggerated" when…. really IT'S NOT. I'm just very passionate with words because, to me, words are so beautiful! Writing is timeless, like you said. They can save lives. They can inspire.
You might not even believe it, but writing can have the capacity to transform the world ^_^ I believe in that. Writing is basically everywhere!
Thank you so much for writing this lovely post! I'm so glad I'm not the only one as crazy about writing as you are! We should co-write a book some day haha 🙂
Jillian @ Jillian’s Books
Thanks so much Jillian! That means a ton coming from you.
I think a little self-doubt can be good for a writer. After the fact, of course, it strengthens me, because I look at all the incredibly talented writers who were rejected time and again. That’s perfect!
Aww, that stinks. It can be frustrating to be surrounded by people who don’t understand your love of something. YES, yes, and yes!
I believe in that too. It’s overwhelming to think about, honestly!
That would be amazing!!! 😉 Thanks bunches for your sweet comment, Jillian. xx
Fabulous post. I love your reasons for writing; they’re so very true. Particularly what you said about things you write coming out clearer than talking.
I, personally, write because I have stories inside me and I have to tell them- I can’t just keep them inside. And I want to share them with others and see/hear/read their reactions and hopefully make their lives a little brighter.
Thank you! Yes, that’s definitely one of the top reasons.
I love how you said that. Perfect! I completely agree with you. And I think that’s one of the coolest things in the world to think about. 🙂
I want to win this for my friend Jackie. She plans to write her thoughts on articles she reads in her international relations course!
Ooh, how sweet! 🙂 I hope Jackie loves it if you win it for her!
I write to share the truth with others. Thanks for this giveaway!
I LOVE that! 🙂 No problem, Akilah!