Why Don’t I Just Write?

I created this website with the sole purpose of writing. If I am honest, I wouldn’t have started a personal blog if it weren’t for the day I was researching for universities and essays and the ECAs that get students into Ivy League universities and I bumped upon a guy’s profile who got into NYU and who was also a writer. To make sure we’re on the same page, I didn’t start this blog to become like him or with the hope that it’d get me into NYU, but I started this blog because I liked what he wrote and I wanted to write as well.

I used to be a writer, I think. Since grade 5, inspired by a cousin, I used to write poems and short stories. Maybe I’ll share some of those here someday. By grade 7, I had written a short novel. It wasn’t a great piece of writing, but hey, it was something. I kept writing until the end of grade 8. Almost all the teachers who read my writings used to appreciate me for it. I too felt like to keep writing. But then, something happened and I stopped writing.

The detail of what happened is a story to be shared some other day, but yes, I stopped writing. A fun fact: Till grade 8 whenever I took my English exam and there was an essay to be written at the end of the paper for 8 marks, I’d do everything else quickly and then I’d block out at least 30 minutes just for the essay. In those 30 minutes, first I’d go to the washroom to clear my head, and then I’d come back, and only then I’d begin writing. That was to ensure that I write creatively, to the best of my ability. For most exams, the pieces of writing I wrote were actually pretty good. Just saying.

Now coming back to the point, I started this blog to write, anything. But the writer’s block has got me well. It’s been a couple of months and all I’ve posted so far is like 3 articles. I think every day that I want to write about this and that. But then when I write the title of the article, I start becoming a perfectionist. I feel like all my writings must create or shift the emotions of the reader. And that keeps me from writing. Also maybe having another website where I write whenever I am free may be a reason why I don’t be able to write here much. But I think that needs to change.

Multiple researches, including those from Pennsylvania State University, St. Vincent’s Hospital, St. Catherine University, and several others have shown that expressive writing can help people not only heal from mental stress or issues but can also help people remain healthy both mentally and physically. We could, of course, journal in a personal diary and not show it to anyone. I do that as well (sometimes), but writing and growing online, maybe building a community is what I want.

Most importantly, though, I want to document my life. So that someday when I’m an adult or an old man, I’ll come back to these articles and laugh at myself for how daft I was. I also want to write so that I understand myself more clearly, so that I am aware of what I want and so that I be able to do what I want.

Alright, if I want to write more often and prioritize ‘quantity over quality’ for now so that with time I improve, I’ll have to get used to not being afraid to finish on a clear note. What is more important? Writing more often or giving a lesson every time we write? What do you think?

If you read this all the way through, drop a comment, or text me. Let me know. You might as well make my day. Also, read my previous article, which has a lesson, here: Could You Parent?

See ya!