As I let my thoughts float from the keyboard and on to this article, I realize that there are many reasons why I like to write. I never thought of myself as the best or most clever writer, but that’s the thing about writing. It is not something you have to be good or bad at. No, writing is a way to get your thoughts out there, to understand the world, and even to confront issues that are important to you. There are many reasons why people may decide to write but here are some of mine:
- It gives me an escape
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Everyone needs an escape every once in a while. So, that just for a little while they don’t have to deal with things happening around them. For a little while, they can ignore the stress or problems in their lives. For some, this may come from things like sports or video games but for me, it comes from writing. My escape comes from the idea of being able to see the world from someone else’s eyes. To hold another’s name and try to see the world from their point of view. Throughout my writing, I have been a princess, a superhero, and even an alien. These are stories that others may never see but they still gave me an escape. They helped me to step away from my own world and to think about other things. To push my problems into the depths of my mind and just relax.
- It can help me see things from a different perspective
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Reading is about seeing the world through different eyes, whether these are the eyes of a character or the author’s themselves. Writing is about creating those perspectives. It’s about showing the reader a new way to look at the world. With things like fictional stories, you must mold a perspective for the character. Show the world not through your eyes but from that of the character. So, if I were writing about a pessimist, I couldn’t use my optimism to explain their world view. Instead, I would have to show a view that was swimming in more negative thoughts.
- It can help me figure things out
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As I arrange my thoughts on a page sometimes things become clear. This can even be said when I write stories. Sometimes when I am writing about a certain issue more information needs to be gathered and researched to understand it. This way I can combine my opinion with the research I found and get a deeper understanding of my thoughts. Doing the research that can come from writing can even flip your perspective by showing you different angles on it.
- It gives me a way to get my opinion out there
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Most people who know me know I’m not the most talkative person in the world. So when I do write things like articles for Her Campus this can help me to get my opinion out there. Writing is good for things like giving people a voice when they may be too shy to speak out in person. Whether this voice has something life-changing to say or not it may still be good for them to have this. This way people have a chance to say what they need or want to.