Why I Write
Writing is not a hobby, not to me. Writing is my life. At the core of everything, writing is there, whether it's there to help me, to bother me, to distract me, or just to occupy me. Despite how central writing has become, and is, in my life, it hasn't always been welcome. I actually used to hate writing. Believe me, I don't mean the love-hate relationship all writers have, but an all-out detest.
In school, I was always an academic, for better or worse, but there was one subject I did not do well in. While exceeding expectations in other areas, I fell below them in writing. I happened to be an avid reader, and I had an exceptional vocabulary; I just didn't like writing. Even though I didn't write unless forced to, I always had a lot going on in my head. I found it hard to focus in class, constantly reading books hidden under my desk. After getting caught too many times I resorted to doodling, and even simple origami.
It wasn't until fifth grade that I started to think about writing of my own volition. My teacher gave me some great encouragement, so I started writing short stories. They weren't any good, but hey, it was a start. I kept writing, along with my doodles, throughout sixth grade. At that time I still hated writing in school, but I was actually working to improve my recreational writing.
My biggest break in my writing came during the summer between sixth and seventh grade. That summer I had a crazy dream that just happened to lead to my first long story, a plot I could carry beyond the length of a short story. That was the main story I developed over the next few years. My short stories waned along with my drawing, only to be replaced by new story ideas.
At some point, it simply stopped being just a hobby, just a distraction. Writing invaded my life, with new characters and plots appearing around every corner. I can't say exactly when that happened, when writing morphed from hated chore to a "normal" part of my daily life. I have to admit though, I wouldn't change it back. Now it seems so obvious for this to be the direction my life has gone, and at this point, it's become my normal. Writing is my passion, and hopefully I can one day make it my career as well.
In school, I was always an academic, for better or worse, but there was one subject I did not do well in. While exceeding expectations in other areas, I fell below them in writing. I happened to be an avid reader, and I had an exceptional vocabulary; I just didn't like writing. Even though I didn't write unless forced to, I always had a lot going on in my head. I found it hard to focus in class, constantly reading books hidden under my desk. After getting caught too many times I resorted to doodling, and even simple origami.
It wasn't until fifth grade that I started to think about writing of my own volition. My teacher gave me some great encouragement, so I started writing short stories. They weren't any good, but hey, it was a start. I kept writing, along with my doodles, throughout sixth grade. At that time I still hated writing in school, but I was actually working to improve my recreational writing.
My biggest break in my writing came during the summer between sixth and seventh grade. That summer I had a crazy dream that just happened to lead to my first long story, a plot I could carry beyond the length of a short story. That was the main story I developed over the next few years. My short stories waned along with my drawing, only to be replaced by new story ideas.
At some point, it simply stopped being just a hobby, just a distraction. Writing invaded my life, with new characters and plots appearing around every corner. I can't say exactly when that happened, when writing morphed from hated chore to a "normal" part of my daily life. I have to admit though, I wouldn't change it back. Now it seems so obvious for this to be the direction my life has gone, and at this point, it's become my normal. Writing is my passion, and hopefully I can one day make it my career as well.
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