Why I Write- National Day on Writing

National Day on Writing was yesterday and I feel badly that I did not acknowledge it in school. I have to admit that this one really got by my radar and I am marking the beginning of October as a time to pay more attention to it for next year. That way, I might be able to have some extra energy and excitement around writing for National Day on Writing 2013.

Since I am a writing geek, I'm always excited about celebrating writing but Jen at teachmentortexts.com really inspired me to write this post. Jen's post invited everyone to share what we write on twitter. What I write is so connected to why I write that I have taken that liberty with her invitation--I don't think she'll mind. Here goes...

I write because:

• writing helps me learn and think more deeply about issues and strategies that matter to me.
• writing helps me remember thoughts, feelings, events, and people that mattered to me at a moment in my life.
• writing helps me understand myself better.
• my profession requires reports, reflections, and responses on a daily basis.
• writing connects me to people in professional and emotional ways.
• I have felt the compassion and strength of a well-written note and I enjoy paying that forward.
• when I write fiction, I can change the circumstances and outcomes of situations that I didn't like in real life. (I'm a bit of a control freak.)
• I can create characters who will solve problems that stump me in my real life.
• writing leads me to solutions in my own life that I might not have thought of without my imaginary life.
• I can be in total control of my characters and their decisions, destinies, conversations, and thoughts. I have four daughters so total control in an environment, even my imagined one, has appeal. ( I told you that I'm a control freak...)
• I worry that my soapbox will break if I keep getting up on it, and writing, especially fiction, seems to be a clever way to deliver messages without threatening the well-being of my fragile soap-box.
• unlike when I speak, I have the power to change what I am going to say and I only have to commit when I am ready to turn the paper in or push the send button.
• sometimes messages are easier for people to hear when they can read and re-read them.
• more people can read my words through the power of technology than will ever be sitting in front of me.
• I am a teacher and the more I write, the more the people around me write and the more we all write, the better we get at writing.

No doubt I will think of more reasons why I write and I will re-visit this post. I'd love to hear and be inspired by other people's reasons, as well.