I often read the Positive Writer blog by Bryan Hutchinson – a recent one got me thinking. Bryan listed 40 reasons why he chooses to write, and challenged his readers to do the same. I’m not sure I can come up with 40 reasons! But the Positive Writer blog is all about positivity – so let’s jump right in and give it a go 🙂

1. I write because I love to read
2. Creating stories that are meaningful and give joy to other people is a delight
3. Hearing from readers, a single reader, that they have found pleasure in my words gives me a smile that lasts for days
4. I enjoy playing with words to paint the thoughts and scenes I see so clearly in my head
5. I write because it’s challenging, it’s hard and uplifting at the same time
6. I love researching new things
7. Even when I get lost in research when I should be writing, I always get back to the writing eventually
8. Writing lets me explore thoughts and ideas that are important to me
9. Writing lets me discover new things
10. I write to express emotions that are hard to talk about
11. Getting a poem just right makes me feel like a modern day William Wordsworth
12. I write because I can
13. Writing lets me get out of the house, even when I’m stuck in the house
14. I love the look on someone’s face when I tell them I’m a writer
15. Words are important, even fiction – especially fiction – can make a difference
16. Most people think it’s cool to be a writer
17. Writers are a great bunch of people to hang around with
18. I write to remember
19. Sometimes when I’m writing, long forgotten memories and emotions fly at me
20. Words are powerful
21. I wrote my first poem at age 7, I thought I’d burst with pride when my teacher asked me to read it out to the class
22. I’ve used words, in one way or another for most of my career – even a short stint at technical writing once (not something I’m planning on returning to anytime soon!)
23. Writing is my main creative outlet – paper crafting is the other
24. I write because I have so many ideas, so many stories to tell
25. Editing can be as much fun as writing, more fun sometimes
26. Editing is when the story I tried to tell in my first draft starts to take shape
27. I admire people who write so beautifully I have to read the same line, the same paragraph, over and over because I don’t want to let it go
28. I aspire to writing words that wriggle their way into people’s hearts
29. I love it when someone tells me I make them giggle, or I make them cry – honestly I prefer the giggling to the crying, but any emotional response is a good thing!
30. I love it when my own writing gives me a shiver
31.  I’m not sure about muses… but I’ve always thought that my subconscious throwing out plot hole resolutions at 3 AM is a grand thing
32. Writing and editing (especially editing) are good excuses for eating chocolate
33. Living in the worlds I create is sometimes more fun than living in the real world
34. Writing gives me a purpose
35. Writing is a good excuse for drinking coffee
36. I can’t believe I’ve got to 34 reasons… I should check for duplicates
37. Sometimes a reader tells me what they’ve taken away from my stories, and I want to give them a high five for clarifying back to me what I was trying to say
38. I can write anywhere, anytime
39. Writing as a career, is entirely my own hands
40. I write because – in spite of the challenges, in spite of the sleepless nights – nothing else gives me the same high

Phew! 40 reasons why I write! I can actually think of more now that I’m writing non-fiction as well as fiction 😀

I’d love to hear your reasons for writing 🙂 If you’d like to participate in this challenge, you can read Bryan’s challenge kick-off and his list of 40 reasons here!

Note: all of the above images are from fabulous Pixabay

I will soon be asking for beta readers for my self help book about living with fatigue. If you are interested in helping out please contact me here.

Kim Cleary

Kim writes paranormal stories with a intrigue, suspense and a hint of romance. She loves all animals, especially her dogs; and thrives on coffee and chocolate while writing and researching.