Why I Became a Writer

I often get asked, “Why writing?” Why did I become a writer? I think the answer is that I didn’t become one I simply am one. It’s not something I think about necessarily, it’s just something I do. Writing is in my blood, in my genetic make-up. It’s a habit I couldn’t quit if my life depended on it. In fact, it’s such a natural part of me that I never even realized I was a “writer” until after I’d published my first book.

Growing up I wanted to be a lot of things. I remember going through a “farmer” phase and an “engineer” phase. (The train driving kind of engineer.) When I got older I looked a lot into hospitality/hotel management and would have gone to culinary school if I could have afforded it. The “pasty chef” phase lasted a long time. When I finally did go to college I was a voice performance major. (Oh, yeah, I definitely went through a “pop star” phase.) Then I ended up in an outdoor recreation program where I considered being a park ranger, a survival instructor, and even working as a camp counselor for troubled teens.

I’ve wanted to be it all; do it all. The one thing I never considered? Becoming a writer. Never once in my life did I say, “Hey, I think I’d like to be a writer.” The thought never even crossed my mind. In fact, if my teachers could see me know they’d probably all die of shock.

So how did I end up a writer? Accidentally. Subconsciously.

I’ve always been a dreamer. I have spent my entire life day dreaming, creating characters, and turning every day situations into big elaborate stories of adventure and romance. In school, getting me to write was like pulling teeth. But outside of school I had endless journals and notebooks filled with random ideas and stories. I loved writing and did it constantly though I never realized that’s what I was doing.

My stories were many things for me—an emotional release, an escape, a creative outlet. Writing was my therapy, and in many ways, it was the reason I survived adolescence. I started with jotting down my daydreams, progressed into writing fan fiction, and eventually graduated to writing original fiction.

Looking back now, I can totally see it. I won several school contests for my stories growing up despite my inability spell and my horrid handwriting. (Thank heaven for word processors and spell check!) I wrote my first novel when I was just fifteen years old. I wrote stories all night long, in the car, during class, during church… I plotted them out in the shower, I dreamed about my characters…

I was just shy so I never told anyone about my hobby. Then I discovered online websites and forums where I could post my stories anonymously on the Internet. This discovery changed my life. I found other people like me, who became my friends, and introduced me to “writing”.  I found a love of reading, and became desperate for all the knowledge I could find about the craft of writing.

Over the next few years I watched each of my stories become clearer, stronger, and better. And I loved it. I loved seeing my improvement. I started challenging myself with each new story. I believe I finally decided I was a writer when writing became more to me than just a hobby and a creative outlet. It became a talent, a skill I had. It became a list of goals I wanted to accomplish. (And eventually it started making me money. That was kind of a hint too.)

So, why writing? Because it’s what I do. It’s what I love. It’s who I am. Here’s to many, many more stories!