We are living in some of the wildest times. Disease is running rampant, and the news is one fresh new hell after another. The question then is how do you make writing a priority with all of the other things going on in our world right now? What makes writing that thing we should take time out of our schedule to make sure that we are getting as much of it in as possible during times when there is so much vying for our attention? Well, I’m going to give you some reasons, and I hope that they give you the keep nudge you need to keep writing your book, story, content, flash, or fan fiction.

Because you love doing it

I can’t speak for everyone, but I know that writing brings me peace that few other things do. It is one way that I know that I can shut off and be completely in the moment. I wouldn’t call it meditative because there is nothing still about the way that I write, but it is cathartic. I know that when I am in that zone of flow that keeps my fingers flying across fresh pages that I am in my element. It gives me that sense of control that I need to keep going. When I leave or start doing something writing is the thing that I always come back to.

It makes me put my phone down

We all love wasting time on our phones. We play games, we stare at social media for hours on end. In fact, a waste of time is probably a harsh judgment. Let’s say instead that we love plugging in. There is nothing wrong with surfing social media if it relaxes you, but there is no denying that it is a way that we lose time we could dedicate to something else. Writing gives me that extra push to do something other than stare at my screen scrolling the latest news. Sensory overload is a thing, and writing allows me to fully disconnect and plug into myself. When I start writing everything newsworthy or not just kind of fades into the background and we are giving the best of ourselves for 30 minutes to an hour. I have never regretted a day that I have spent writing.

Just for the creative process

We as humans are open of the few animals on the planet that can just do things for pleasure. We paint, we clochette, we bake, and we writers write. Our words come out in a multitude of screams, whispers, and shouts on the page. The voices in our head are exuberant and jolly, and our demons are antagonistic and calculating. Writing is that one way that everything that we have in our head can be dumped out and retrofitted back into way that makes sense or tells a story. We are the catalyst for new worlds and our notebooks and computers screen are out frontier. Writing gives us the chance to be in control of something in a place or world that we have no control over. Even if you write stories never to ever be published, you are creating a microcosm of your story that you can relive over and over again. I can’t count the times I’ve read a book and I go back to that story over and over again, because it was an experience that I want to have as many times as possible. Which brings us to…

Others can feel through your work

Have you ever been really sad then read a book that made you cry? You were able to channel your own sadness and process it through the words on the page. It may not have been your unique experience, but it touched something in you that allowed you to release what you were holding on to inside. You as a writer have no idea how powerful you are. You have the ability to bring people sadness and immense joy. You can transport people who are not mobile to other worlds and remind the adventurous of home. If you don’t think that writing is powerful, there are millions of people who are waking up to a “Miracle Morning” right now, or now “Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” who would beg to differ. There are so many ways that your book is needed in the world, and writing will give someone the chance to experience the world that you will create.

The self-care of it all

You need to write because your soul needs it. I mean there are all the reasons up above, but as a writer, I know that for those who write it is a needful thing. You can’t help putting pen to paper or jotting down your ideas. You’re out here dreaming in color and dragons, and you aren’t giving your readers the chance to do the same. Your book maybe someone’s favorite book. Your taking the time to practice your craft simultaneously gets what you need to express out of your head, and gives you space to privately vent. See something on the news that has you feeling some type of way? Did you see the sun shining through the rain? Awesome, put how those things made you feel to the paper. Let your writing transform you as you are transforming it. Maybe you need to write a poem about some events that you saw, and that’s fine. Take care of yourself through words

As a write this I realize that it might sound like preaching, but this article is really for me. In an effort to practice what I am preaching committed to putting my phone down and stop reading the news for a few days. As someone with a daily news habit, this has been very hard. As I continue to find my voice, I want to thank you for coming to hang out with me. You could be anywhere else, but you chose to take this time to be here and I thank you for it. So, tell me, what ways and reasons are you committing to writing? Comment down below!