“Write. Darn it. Write.”

The written word surrounds us daily. It is in everything. It is in print media (newspapers, etc), ads, and even on the list of ingredients on that godawful can of lima beans…everything.

For me, reading, and writing, became the cornerstone of my intellectual development. Starting with my very first touch-and-feel picture book, moving on to series such as “The Baby-sitters Club” (come on! Confess! You read them too. Or at least your sister did), and, finally, to the more advanced, yet sometimes dry, academic history books…the written word became, to me, in essence, everything.

As we move through life and leave behind our awkward, and intense, infant/toddler/teenage years we are constantly bombarded with information on how to write. Proper grammar, syntax, style…this is how you do a book report, this is how you write poetry (watch the meter!), this is how you keep track of that science experiment, this is how you write a thesis, this is how you write a dissertation, this is how you write on social media…there is a “right” way to write…and we are taught, conditioned, trained.

I was taught, conditioned, and trained. As a child I was a voracious reader, an enthusiastic writer. Many years, and several degrees, later and my reading lists, and writing style, had changed drastically. But I still nurtured the desire to write, to express my innermost thoughts, ideas, feelings…sense of humor.

Finally, when life guided me out of academia, I picked up that pen again (or keyboard), and searched for my voice. I found it, but not in prose, poetry, or memoir. No. I found it in writing for children…even if only for MY children.

So, should I write? Why does anyone write? Why would anyone blog? Is it because we have  important messages to transmit? Is it about the reader? Or perhaps it tells us more about ourselves, about a desire to be heard, to be brave, and to connect. I don’t know why I decided to write, but I value it, and I am thankful for it.

Whatever story I tell, I know there will be a lot of myself hidden behind the metaphors, the dialogues, and the anecdotes. After all, as the one and only Virginia Woolf once said,

“Every secret of a writer’s soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written large in his works.”

So, why do YOU write? Share below what, and why, you write. I am honestly curious.