Monthly Archives: March 2014

3 Reasons Why I Became a Writer

Becoming a writer was not the first thing that came to mind when I was growing up, I wanted to be something else which I could not quite remember. But there was a crucial turning point in my life that made me say “I want to become a writer”. At that time, I was in a point in my life where I had a decent job, but I felt like I was supposed to be doing something else. That feeling lingered for quite some time, three years to be exact. I decided to take a leave of absence from my job and travel to Asia for three months. That trip made me realize what I really wanted to do in my life. After returning from that trip I had three clear reasons as to why I wanted to shift from my current job to becoming a full-time writer.
3 Reasons Why I Became a Writer

Self-Expression

Looking back, ever since I was a child I liked writing in a journal. I did not care what I wrote I just wrote things on my journal and kept it a secret from everyone else. No one else knew about my journal and where I put it. These writings contained my thoughts, random scribbles, and some stories I wrote. In my journal, I was able to be who I wanted to be. I saved damsels in distress, fought space wars, or became Luke Skywalker. There was no one there to judge me, I transformed into anyone I wanted and said all the things I wanted to say. Writing gave me the avenue to express myself and the deepest thoughts that I had in mind. From childhood to now, I still feel the same way. It all just came back to me and came together at the right time. I am glad I made the decision to become a writer. I do not know what I would be doing if I stuck with my job for another year or so.

Creative Control

I like having creative control in the things that I do that is what writing gave to me. I created my own worlds and filled it with the people I wanted. I formed and shaped the characters of the stories I wrote and I loved it. I knew my characters inside and out, knew their darkest thoughts and their motivations. I was thrilled to create whatever I wanted through writing. The creative control that writing gave me liberated me from the monotony of daily life. Through writing I made things more interesting than they actually are. I was able to put motivations in, create character flaws, make twists, and make the most minute of details important to the grand scheme of things.

Bored Out of My Mind

I decided to take a turn from my current job because I was bored out of my mind. I was tired of doing the same thing over and over again, dealing with the same people, same problems, and same outcomes. I wanted a fresh start and something that I have more creative control over. I was doing OK with my job, getting promoted, earning some money, but something was missing from the daily grind. It took a while for me to realize that I wanted to do something else than collect a paycheck every month.

I can honestly say that the transition was not smooth, but I found my new career in writing far more rewarding compared to my previous job. There are days when I get bored or run into a creative bump, but the thought of doing something else never crossed my mind again.