This afternoon after running some errands, I found myself at a local Starbucks. I couldn’t say no to complementing this beautiful fall day with a soy chai latte. :) While waiting for the barista to make my order. We got to chatting, and she asked me where I worked. After telling her I tutor writers on campus, it opened the door for a brief discussion on writing, and how therapeutic it really can be.
Writing is something I do for many reasons. I use it mostly as a release and therapy, to improve my education on certain subjects, to communicate… really the list goes on. One thing I have learned through my writing is that I must write for myself. I used to always think “what do people want to read?” I soon found out I wasn’t happy with writing with that question in mind. I produced better poetry, prose, and even journal entries when I was writing from my heart, and not for the eyes of others.
A very good friend told me to start writing for myself. When you let go of all apprehensions of what to put down on to paper, you might be surprised to see what you’ve composed. If you can let go of the fear inside of what someone might think if they read your writing, you will open so many doors. I can personally testify to this – when I took the poetry class last year I learned how to let go of some of that fear. It wasn’t gone, and it still isn’t. What is important here is that I try each time I jot a paragraph in my journal, write a blog, or make a note in my planner. If I write for me, I can let things go. It has worked in the past. Sometimes I feel the struggle of when I don’t know what to write… the thought crosses my mind “I wonder who will read this…” but then I stop myself. It doesn’t matter who will read what I write, because I write for me. Of course, I’d love to gain a large following and write books that make the best seller’s lists. I realize now that the goal is obtainable, since I have stopped writing for readers. I write for me, and that’s what really makes me happy.