I have been telling stories since the age of five. I drew pictures as a kid and made them into mini books. Even before I could physically write, I still was producing stories. I told either my older brother or one of my parents to write down exactly what I told them I wanted to be on each page. Around sixth grade, I discovered my passion and talent for creative writing. By my junior year of high school I knew I wanted to pursue writing-intensive English as a major in college.
Now a part of two writing outlets on campus, a writing-intensive English and journalism major, sometimes I have a busy week with five papers due in a span of three days and ask myself why I’m even in this field in the first place.
And then I remember. Here are just five of my reasons:
Writing provides an outlet for me to express my thoughts. I am a very introspective, philosophic person with a big imagination. Growing up, I would ask a lot of “what if” questions to my teachers, simply because I was curious and imagined things outside of the box. Writing allows me to express my curiosity and creativity.
Writing seldom has a right or wrong answer, and I love that. Writing is subjective, and each person does it differently. I never excelled at science or math, topics that always have a right or wrong answer. Plus, I’d much rather write a paper or article than memorize facts and take a test.
Writing has a lot of intent behind it. You could add in one particular sentence for three different reasons, and the reader may only pick up on one. Other readers may find five deeper meanings behind it, ones you weren’t initially intending. Again, it’s all up for interpretation, and that’s the beauty of writing.
Writing allows people to remember. People often tell me I have a good memory, and I want to credit that to the genes my grandfather passed down to me. But honestly, a lot of the random things I remember comes from writing it down (…so does that even count?). All I have to do is re-read something I wrote a week, month, or even years ago, and I’m instantly transported back to that time in my life, in the same mindset I was in then. With journalism, recording what happened is extremely important, so people are aware of current events and so it can be documented for future generations. Otherwise, we are doomed to repeat the past.
Writing helps me become a better person. Because of writing, I can reflect on past events. I can provide analysis for any piece of literature or something that just happened to me. I can structure an argument properly, and sound sophisticated. I think of things on a deeper level, and allow myself to go past my gut reaction and first impression.
To sum it all up, writers have more fun! There’s no other field I’d rather be.