Why do I blog? Why do I type my thoughts on a screen, then press publish and send them out into the wide, wide world of the world wide web?
That’s a big question. It’s too hard to answer that question in that form. So I’m going to simplify it.
Why do I write?
Ah, that’s easier.
Here goes: I write because I don’t have a choice. I write because I have to.
I write because the words and numbers that constantly do battle in my head need an outlet. I write because the characters and voices in my head demand recognition.
(Yes, voices in my head. The comments section is below, waiting for your jokes.)
I write because there has never been a time in my life where I didn’t write. The outlet varied from diary to school work to essays to short stories to poems to blog posts to articles to picture book manuscripts to anything and everything in between. But the writing itself was constant. Is constant.
The words come to me. I create them, arrange them, rearrange them and manipulate them. And then I write them down so the next lot of words can come.
I didn’t realise how important writing was to me for a very long time. An embarrassingly long time.
In fact, the main reason I’m reflecting on it now is that a close friend of mine recently brought it up. I studied linguistics at university with this friend, but while she also studied creative writing and visual art, I studied marketing and finance.
“It’s so weird that of all our uni friends, you’re the writer now. Why didn’t you study writing back then?”
I didn’t have an answer for her then. But I think I do now. And the answer is both simple and difficult.
It’s as simple as not knowing that this was what I wanted to do. And it’s as difficult as never having been given the chance to realise that this was what I wanted to do.
I wanted to take the words in my head, the words I constantly created, arranged, rearranged and manipulated, and give them meaning.
So I did that. But that’s not all I did. I did so many other things that the writing never leapt out as my passion.
It is SUCH a relief to pinpoint that passion now. Such a relief. I have other interests. And, if you’ll forgive the seemingly not-so-humble brag, I’m good at other things too. Good enough to do well at them without the same level of passion to propel me. Good enough to think I could make something of myself with them.
But writing, words and language are the things I keep coming back to. They’re the things I study, the things I practise, the things I’m willing to work harder on than anything else. They’re the things I don’t mind getting wrong as long as I can keep working towards getting them right.
So that’s why I write, and therefore why I blog.
Do you blog? What inspires you to blog?
(Images of my family in the slideshow are my own. All other images have been sourced from freeimages.com and used with permission.)
Wonderful to read this Emily! Best wishes with your entry. It spoke to me of your passion and your communication in writing! I loved how you described “what’s always in my head”. I have some understanding of it in recent years since taking on art as a hobby.
Thank you so much! Glad people are nodding along.
And I did not view the video till now. Powerful Em and it touched my heart! D xx
Phew. I’m a wordy person, not a visual person! Glad it got the message across.
Wishing you the best of luck in the competition! I write because it’s all that I know. I’ve lived and breathed it since I got my first typewriter when I was 11. xx
You forgot to mention how good you are at it! See you next week, lovely. x
Nodding along and feeling like I wrote that post! I only started ‘blogging’ in 2014, but same as you, before that my life was a series of words. 10 diaries, poems, letters to loved ones, postcards and emails sent from internet cafe’s around the world. I feel naked if I don’t write! Beautiful video. Reflect, record, remember. I joke to my husband that if nothing else, the blog is like my ‘notebook’ for him to read me when I can’t remember!
That’s so true! There are a lot of little family tales and memories in here. Not as many as we’ve created, but enough to give this blog a very real purpose for our family!
I think we are bit similar with our early love affair with words. I have plenty of diaries and books of poems from when I was eight years old on. But more than that, I have vivid memories of narrating things in my head from a really early age. Thank goodness for blogs that not only offer a creative outlet but connection with others that feel similarly about writing.
Thank goodness! There comes a point in the writing journey where you want to share the words and not just write them for yourself. Oops – I used the word journey. Time to audition for a reality TV show.
I’m with you – I write because I must. To me, it is essential as breathing! Like you it’s taken different forms over the years, from letters to pen pals to magazine articles to poems to short stories and now to blogging. I just love words. I love playing with them, rearranging them, manipulating them too. I’m intrigued though – you said you love playing with numbers too – that’s definitely not the case for me! Words only. Numbers suck!
Visiting from #teamIBOT x
Haha, I did wonder if anyone would question that! I love maths too. Like music, it’s another language. But I also like numbers in relation to words. I like symmetry and similarity – words of the same length, words with the same consonant/vowel ratio, words with lots of anagrams. Numbers in relation to words. GEEKGASM.
Good luck in the competition. Your passion for writing shines through.
Thank you so much!
I can relate to this, thanks for sharing. Best of luck for the competition.
Thank you so much!
LOVE that Shoebox clip!!! The world is so much better with your words in it. You are so great at what you do and by far one of my favourite bloggers, so don’t ever stop writing, k?!! It’s so hard to pinpoint what you want to do for the rest of your life when you’re just 17. I’m glad you’ve found your way to your passion.
Oh, Renee. STAAAAHP it! Thank you so much for your words. x
You’re such a brilliant writer Em and I always look forward to visiting your blog. I’ve really come to love writing since starting my blog 2.5 years ago – and it’s certainly evolved as I found myself a voice. I didn’t really love it until I blogged. Before that it was always a chose – writing reports, or uni assignments, lesson plans etc… So glad I decided to start my blog. I must admit I love when I get to do a blog post that is JUST WRITING – not setting up an activity to photograph at just the right time to day to get just the right lighting and then upload and edit the photos too.
Keep doing what you’re doing lovely one xx
Thank you so much, Lauren. I’m glad you no longer see writing as a chore!
So great that you can truly appreciate and enjoy it now. Sometimes we look wondering why we didn’t do something earlier but maybe it happened at the right time! I have only recently got into blogging but have always loved writing and I love it. I hope I can continue and grow too and all the best with your entry!
That’s true – I didn’t have the stories to tell back then. Well, I did, but I didn’t have the right perspective yet.
Why does Emily blog….? Mmmm…. ‘Cos she’s a big writerly nerd. (reckon I’ve got the ghostwriting gig wrapped up for your forthcoming autobiography). Good luck with the comp – loved your slideshow x
BIG. HUGE. MASSIVE WRITERLY NERD. And OUCH. You think I’ll need a ghostwriter for my autobiography?! x
Replace write & writing with take photos & photography and you’ve just described me! I love your work and I hope you never stop because I will continue to read whatever you come up with!
Thank you – such kind words. Right back at you about your photos. Simply stunning.
I would have “❤️” this on Facebook at the time but I’ve only seen it now. I’m new to your writing, Em, and love your style. This story is inspirational. I was just talking to a girlfriend yesterday about how other stuff we do in life can squeeze the stuff our heart is calling us to do. This piece is moving and spoke to me, the video too.
Thank you so much! That analogy is so right – and we don’t always realise how important the squeezed stuff is because we’re so busy, busy, busy doing.