#WHYIWRITE

I write every day. You write every day. Practically everyone writes every day. We are ALL writers, much more than you may realize. Today’s hashtag, #WHYIWRITE, is brought to you by the National Day on Writing.

You’re A Writer

Yes, YOU! To prove it, your mission is to notice and track every time you write – ANYTHING. A text message, social media post, email, to-do list item, actual pen to paper writing. All of it. As much as we lament the demise of the handwritten note and carefully crafted letters (the loss is real, both are beautiful forms of art) we are actually writing, forming words as visible shapes versus audible sound, much more than ever before. Verbal communication is being replaced by MUCH more written communication. We are all writing a lot more than ever. You’re a writer.

#WHYIWRITE

This realization is what led me to put my writing into the form of this blog. I was sharing the same stories, thoughts, and ideas with friends and family via text – random bits, read and then scrolled past, essentially lost forever. Why not collect them as I have them here? Indexed, searchable, preserved. This also pushes me to write with more clarity, always unearthing more than I realized was ever there. What would have been a less carefully crafted text evolves into more thoughtful examination, deeper soul searching, and ultimately a more profound understanding of myself.

You, dear reader, get to witness it and connect or not. I write for me and I write for those that connect, my ideal reader.

Maybe you connect and say “oh, me, too!” or maybe you’re repulsed and close the window. The choice is yours. In either case, you’ve connected and recognized a truth about yourself.

Think hard on that last statement.

Go Write

Do you wish you could go back through your old messages – texts, emails, random bits here and there – and collect them? Go do it! And then go write! It doesn’t matter what it looks like. Terrible spelling, lack of eloquence, disjointed thoughts – who cares. It is You unearthing You. Maybe you want to write for legacy, but you can also simply write for you.

Stoic Journaling

The Stoics wrote every day, to themselves, for themselves. It is a gift that we get to read their writings now, but they were never intended to be published. The daily act of writing is the practice of Stoicism. Don’t fear blank pages, or needing a purpose or audience – go write. As Julia Cameron says, you’ll experience spiritual windshield wipers when you do.

Stake Your Claim – #WHYIWRITE

In a post riddled with quotes, I now challenge us all to stake our own claim. Write. Do it enough and something quotable will surface, our own profound addition.

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