Here's the thing.
I write ALL THE TIME. I feel like I spend more time at my computer now than I ever have before, but I haven't written anything for money, as in for a paycheck as a freelance writer or editor, in a over a year.
Other than Chasing Roots, all of my writing is tied to volunteer work. I have official positions and defined responsibilities on multiple boards, committees, and booster clubs, but also less official positions and less defined responsibilities associated with a couple of programs and organizations. For these positions I write emails and minutes and newsletters and guidelines and bylaws and handbooks and position descriptions and...and...and...the list goes on.
I'm not complaining, I promise.
I'm in this position - these positions - because I put myself here. I said yes, probably a few too many times, if I'm being honest, and probably because one of my kids is a senior and I don't want to miss out on any opportunity to make this year a great one for him...but I'm committed to seeing all of my volunteer commitments through.
Additionally, I love to write. I've wanted to become a writer since I was a senior in high school and wrote The Wiggly Bridge for Mr. Keyes' Advanced Writing class. My first career - I worked for the American Red Cross for a decade - involved some writing, but it wasn't until I received my first paycheck from a magazine that I felt like I could call myself "a writer." Back then and still today, writing is what I can offer, what I bring to the table. It's both my contribution and my reward.
But it's hard to have done something - anything - and to have been financially compensated for it, and then gradually transition to doing the same kind and amount (maybe more) of work for free. This is where I find myself right now, and to be honest, I feel a little burned out...stretched a little too thin...like I'm drifting a little off course on this journey as a writer.
So when I saw this writing prompt come across my feed (shared by a beloved teacher of both Will and Hallie), I felt called to give it a try.
Why do you write?
It depends on what I'm writing, of course.
I write to remember. So that the story of my life won't disappear as I get older and my memory fades. So that the story of my children's lives will always be there for them, both in which to immerse themselves and to share with those they meet later on in their journeys.
I write to learn. The amount of research required to craft a magazine article or create content for a website can be immense and intense. I would never have learned about the contributions of the Buffalo Soldiers, the intentional sinking of The Kraken off the coast of Galveston, or Texas' most famous Nobel Prize winners if not for writing assignments on each of these topics. For Chasing Roots, I've done deep dives into TAMU and Texas traditions, the best BBQ and TexMex restaurants across the south, and which snakes are most likely to kill you.
I write to educate. Much of my magazine content as well as many of my blog posts are geared toward teaching readers about a particular topic. I've covered those important to my family, like food allergies and Tourette Syndrome, but also those with a broader reach, like fireworks safety, blood donation, organizational strategies, and, again, which snakes will kill you.
I write to support. I write about the hard stuff that I have experienced - that my family and kids, with their permission, have experienced - so others walking the same or similar paths will know they're not alone.
I write to entertain. Sometimes I try to be funny...occasionally I succeed. Everyone seems to like - at least according to Chasing Roots' pageviews - when I write about making swimsuit snow angels, the funny remarks my kids have made, and when I embarrass myself in public.
I write to stay sharp. It's important to me that this blog - what I consider my active resume - as well as my writing and editing skills stay current, relevant, and sharp. Should an opportunity present itself, I need to know a potential employer could immediately view recently created content.
I write because it makes me feel like I'm good at something.
I write because it makes me feel good about myself.
I write because it's cathartic. I've lost track how many times I've written my way through tough conversations, conflicts, and relationships. Even if I never do anything with what I've written (most of these pieces of writing get deleted), I always feel better once I've put my feelings down on "paper."
I write to share our lives. The Wiggles blog, which Tom started when Will was a few months old and I took over once we moved to Texas, started as a way for us to share stories and photos with our families, who didn't live close by and therefore couldn't easily be a part of the kids' day-to-day lives. I wrote as a gift to them - if I couldn't give them in-person time with Will and Hallie, at least I could give them better access than an occasional email or blurry photo (this was 18 years ago, after all) sent via text message on our flip phones.
Last but not least, I consider all of my writing a love letter to my children. I hope they someday choose to read what I've written. I want them to know who I was as a writer, a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, and a friend. I want them to know that every article was an accomplishment of which I'm proud. I want them to know that every story about our beautifully imperfect family and the incredible life we built together was worth telling. I want them to know that I wrote for me, but also for them.
Why do you write?
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