Why I Should Write

Today I don’t feel like writing, but I also feel like I should. Part of this is to keep momentum with posting here on the blog, and part of it is because I know there are many benefits to writing even when I don’t want to. So, to tie all these together, here is a list to remind myself why writing is good:

1. If I have a thought I can’t untangle, writing it out with no edits or filters always helps me process through it.
2. If I feel obligated to write for other people and therefore don’t want to out of spite, writing about how I feel spiteful about something I used to love helps me process through it while simultaneously getting me to write.
3. The physical act of writing is soothing to me, whether by hand or on a keyboard.
4. The more I write, the better I get at it.
5. The better I get at writing, the more I will want to do it.
6. Because of the sunk cost fallacy, if I write a lot then I’m more likely to keep going and try to make it “worth it”.
7. In some cases, I just have to. Doing things because I have to is a good habit to build and helps alleviate my lazy perfectionism.
8. Writing all the wrong words down helps to figure out what the right ones are. This helps a lot when I have strong feelings but can’t explain or describe them.
9. Maybe if I get good enough I can write a novel and make a million dollars.
10. Writing, unlike many other hobbies, can be done almost anywhere. I am privileged to have both a smartphone and dozens of partially used journals and notebooks, so I have no excuse.
11. If I feel bad, writing makes me feel good. If I feel good, writing makes me feel even better.
12. Writing leaves behind a record of what I was like as a person for my children or whoever buys my journals at an estate sale in 80 years.
13. Even in the digital age, I think writing for historical record has value. I always mention a few current events in my personal journal entries.
14. Against all odds, I might have something to say that has never been said before in my specific way. Or even if it has, it might be the first instance of the thing that someone sees. That could introduce them to a whole new area of ideas!
15. Writing can be 100% free, and is otherwise very easy to do inexpensively.