‘Why do you write?’ This is a question almost every writer has been asked at least once and like many writers I struggle to come up with an answer that would make sense to anyone other than me. 

I decided I wanted to be a writer when I was eleven. After a rather terrifying experience abseiling, I came up with my first story idea – a story about a talking spy dog – and I immediately started to write it. I drew covers for the books (I was a very ambitious child who decided there would be at least ten books in the series), and I created maps and diagrams of all the cool spy gadgets my talking dog would have. While I never finished that story it was the start of my writing journey. 

Writing is a part of my life now. Even when I’m not writing I’m thinking through story ideas or listening in on imaginary conversations between my characters (it’s not weird, I swear). 

I could be very poetic. I could compose paragraphs about the joy of creating something from nothing. I could say it’s about the pleasure of stringing words together to produce something of lasting impact. I could even say it’s an exercise in self-expression and a journey of self-discovery…but I’m not going to say that. I love writing because I enjoy it. I love writing because I don’t want to forget any of the characters and stories I dream up in those moments of abject boredom where the only escape from the tedium of standing in an unmoving line or waiting for a bus is to question what would happen if a dragon fell down the chimney (this is an actual story point I spent many hours pondering so keep an eye out, one day I may write an entire story about a dragon who falls down a chimney). 

I love writing because it’s my safe space away from the hustle and bustle of the real world. I can sit down, headphones on, cup of tea to hand (and biscuits too!) and dive into a world of my own creation where there are no bills waiting to be paid or housework that needs doing. 

That’s all for now. Are you a writer? Have you ever tried writing? I’d love to hear from you, use the contact form on my website or check out my social media pages and say hi.