Why Writing Is Important to Me

Women Writers, Women Books asked me write about why writing is so important for me.

I wouldn’t be being honest if I said I was someone who couldn’t not write; that my fingers are drawn magnetically to the pen or keyboard; that it’s like breathing to me.

That’s just not how it is for me. I managed to survive despite not writing regularly for most of my life.

Of course, I wrote when I was at school, when I was told to write, and told what to write. I wasn’t too bad at it, according to my grades. I wrote essays at university – not very well, I hasten to add. But the reason I didn’t write them very well was because my heart wasn’t in it.

In hindsight, I can see I took the wrong degree, but that’s a whole other blog post! I wrote a short story for no particular reason while I was at university, which was good, I thought at the time. Well, it had promise anyway! I wrote a journal to my first daughter while I was pregnant to her. And then I wrote a whole load more essays for my breastfeeding counsellor diploma. Now this course I loved. I threw myself into it, and got very good comments and grades for all my essays. Based on the grades I was getting, had it been a degree, I would have got a first!

That’s when I first realised that maybe I was good at writing, and I went on to sporadically write a handful of articles for my local NCT (UK childbirth charity) newsletter, and a big article for their specialist workers’ (breastfeeding counsellors, ante-natal teachers and post-natal group leaders) professional journal, which was very well received and also gave me a lot of confidence.

I wrote that article over four years ago, though, and have written very little since then, despite thinking repeatedly that I’d like to be a writer. I would dismiss the thought very quickly as something un-doable, and worked instead on a series of other projects that I hoped would lead onto a long term career, something that was difficult as I am the full-time carer for my four children.

I tried being a real nappy seller; opening a natural parenting shop; selling slings and baby carriers; and designing, sewing and selling handbags. I’m not a good saleswoman, though, and, more importantly, I think that that sort of thing just wasn’t the right thing for me.

A few months ago, when I talked to my father-in-law about my latest plan – to do a PhD – he gave me a beautiful moleskine notebook to write my notes in, despite being way, way off any possible study. He was very encouraging.

I found myself desperate to write in the notebook, but I didn’t know what to write, or how. I would open the notebook and stare at it, pen poised, and then close it again.

I posted on my favourite internet forum: ‘how do you write in new notebooks?’, thinking I must be very strange to not be able to do it. But I got a whole host of responses from people saying they were the same. Apparently one company will even draw a line across the first page so that their customers don’t feel too scared to write in it!

Someone suggested I write with a pencil – it flows better, apparently.

So I bought some pencils and took myself and my new notebook to a local library. I found a table, sat down, opened the notebook and wrote ‘what are you frightened of?’

This is a special phrase to me – something I ask myself and my daughters when we’re getting distressed. I followed the phrase with the date and wrote a whole page of my thoughts – they just kept spilling out. I’ll type it up one day and put it on my blog. I ended the page with: ‘or do I just write, and see what happens? I’m going to start.’

I turned the page and wrote: ‘Susie walked down her road towards her house…’

I wrote nearly every day in my notebook, watching this incredible creative process as my story developed. I finished my long-hand first draft at 40,000 words. Not nearly long-enough for a novel, but I knew that the prose and plot were very sparse and would fill out on re-writes. I knew this because as I was writing it, I was also studying the craft of writing – reading blogs; reading books; talking to other writers; getting things critiqued; critiquing others’ work; joining a writers’ group.

I started on 18 March this year. And here I am now, writing this over three months later, and still writing, writing, writing.

Writing has changed my life. I am calmer and happier. My children are writing more. I am a better parent. I haven’t had a truly depressive episode in all that time. And I am achieving something. I am achieving the creation of significant parts of stories and articles every single day and it feels so good!

I still don’t feel an undeniable compulsion to write. I can live without writing. But I want to do it simply because I enjoy it and it is good for me. I never want to stop.

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Tags: challenges with writing, why writing is important to writers, why writing is important to you

Category: British Women Writers, Contemporary Women Writers, On Writing