Why I write, September 28, 2010

This one is a little newer from my very first quarter at UCSC.  My first assignment for my creative writing class last fall was a response to the question "Why do you write?"  Apart from the bit about knowing no one who cares (I found my people) it is still true.

Why I Write

It is ironic that when asked why I write I am at a loss for words.  I suppose that I write because I rarely have nothing to say.  In a world where spontaneous verbal outbursts are generally frowned upon, writing becomes the only viable outlet.

When I began school it became apparent that the way I chose to communicate would never be understood.  My teachers and peers did not appreciate my “excessive” interest in the randomness of life.  It was only when we were taught to write that I could spend my days expressing myself.  The scratch of my pen was easily mistaken as the execution of times tables.  When I write, I can say anything and everything.

Recently a friend of mine asked me what my ideal job would entail.  After a moment of thought it came to me; I want to talk all day long.  Naturally, she suggested teaching.  But she didn't understand.  I want to spend my days talking about the things that interest me: my everyday musings and observations.  Things that matter to no one, but affect everyone.

I want to spend a four-hour car ride contemplating the invention of the automatic seat-belt. Who came up with this creation?  Were the government and car manufacturers in alliance to encourage car safety?  And why are humans so intent on such simplifications?  As you can imagine, not many people are so fascinated by my boundless curiosities.  But I would suffer greatly without an outlet for all of my questions: the things I need to know and want other people to think about.

So I write.  I write because I know no one who cares.  I write because I know there is someone who cares.   I write for my own sanity.  I write because with my pen I can translate the language of my mind.  I write because it is the only thing I have ever loved.  I write because words are my medium, my art.