2026 Get Started Right Writing Challenge: Day 7
Get your writing started right in 2026 with the Get Started Right Writing Challenge. The seventh day asks writers their reason for writing.
Welcome to the seventh day of the 12-day Get Started Right Writing Challenge! We're now officially a week into this challenge, which is great. Let's keep it rolling.
For the seventh day, identify (and possibly share) why you write. Do you write to get published or get paid? Do you write as a hobby or side hustle? Are you just dabbling? Or is it something you've always felt compelled to do? Perhaps, you're writing, because you have a story that needs told, whether fiction or nonfiction. There's no 100% correct answer to this question; I know that many writers, including very successful ones, write for a variety of reasons. So think about what the reason is for you, and you may find that it changes your perspective on what you should be doing when it comes to your writing.
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Here's my reason for writing:
For me, writing started as a way to woo someone in high school. I wrote her a poem, and then when we talked later, she asked about my other poems, so then, I felt compelled to write other poems, because it's not like someone would just write one poem for one girl, right? And as I started writing more poems, I found myself writing about a variety of topics (not just love poems), and in many ways, it acted as a sort of therapy for me.
Not too long later, I started sharing my writing with friends and began publishing a little DIY magazine (we called them fanzines) that had poetry, comics, music reviews, interviews, and other random stuff. Without realizing it, I was becoming not only a writer but also a publisher. And anyway, I've found time and time again over the years that I write, because I enjoy writing, whether it's a poem, short story, set of instructions, or a well-crafted email message.
If someone from the future appeared on my doorstep and told me that none of my future writing would ever get published or known by anyone, I'd probably ask them some questions about the future, including which companies to invest in...but I'd also continue writing. I believe this with every ounce of my being, because writing has consistently helped me process the world around me as well as the world within me.
Basically, I write, because I'm a writer. For what that's worth.
