Ah ha! Gotcha! You thought this article was going to reveal some deep, dark secret about me. It does. I have a confession.
Hello, my name is Glenn, and I am addicted to writing.
Oh, the weight that was just lifted from my shoulders.
I have been preoccupied with other things for last several months. They were all things that required my attention, and I don’t regret diverting my focus from writing to attend to these things. But for all of that time when I did little to no writing, I missed it, like an old friend.
So, I wonder to myself, why the addiction?
I love attempting to be clear and understandable, and hopefully, compelling. With writing, you can think more carefully about things than in conversation. You can re-write a sentence. You can improve your expression, until you have made your case with all the clarity and candor you can muster.
I love creating something, and making it the best it can be. When I write an article, a post, a column, a book; it’s my baby. Granted, all babies are not equally beautiful, but they all hold a special place in the hearts of their parents.
I love expressing myself. Writing is cathartic. I really feel better after I have written. It is soul-soothing. Besides, I feel some things so strongly, I must express them.
I love figuring out what I really think and believe about things. I am not sure how or why writing does this for me, but it does. The discipline of having to state something in a way that makes sense to someone else helps it make sense to me. It’s not always easy, and sometimes, I am surprised by what I uncover from within myself, but it does give me clarity.
I need to think. I don’t always love it, but I need to do it. Honestly, writing is hard work. It takes a ton of discipline and determination. It requires working through the self-doubt of wondering if your work is any good, or if anyone will ever read, or buy your book. It means you must constantly hone your craft, undergoing numerous edits and entire re-writes to come up with anything that is very good. It makes you think. But, there is a sense of accomplishment once a project is completed.
I love helping people. If my honesty and craft actually helps someone else in some little way, that is a tremendous reward. It keeps me going. That’s why I keep those emails that let me know I am connecting with someone else out there.
My needs and desires are really pretty common, the need to express myself, to clarify my perspective, to create something, to help others. Writing is one of the main ways I fulfill them, for you could be something else.
I hope the busyness of life does not cause you to ignore these basic needs, and that you find some cool ways to address them that are just right for you. You may become an addict, too.
Photo Credit: Alan Cleaver. Creative Commons.
