The 5 Main Reasons Why I Want To Be A Writer

Since I was as young as 8 years old, I held onto another big dream: to be a writer. As soon as I started collecting diaries and using MicrosoftWord, I embarked on my writing journey. I always had a journal and pen everywhere I went, including at school. My journal was my "best friend" and "therapist" who I could talk to about whatever I desired without being criticized or punished. I wrote everything from journal entries to the most ridiculous stories on the planet.

My love for reading, storytelling, television and movies also inspired me to write. Although television and film don't have the same cognitive health advantages as reading, it had some things that helped me expand my vocabulary, learn new things and develop empathy when I was young. I read facts and online encyclopedias however, I didn't enjoy reading fiction until I was much older. So I watched multiple TV series and movies in lieu of reading fiction. I was able to learn new words through hearing and gain empathy by seeing the characters emotions. When I would watch The Brady Bunch as a kid, I would become motivated to be just like the character Marcia Brady who enjoyed reading, writing and always did well in school. She was a sensitive, intelligent, committed and grateful girl who felt many emotions throughout the show, just like myself.

Now as an adult, I have no plans to give up my writing career anytime soon, even if I do it on a part-time basis. I have a million reasons why I choose to be a writer, but here are my five main reasons.

1. To heal from my past

I’ve been through hell during my childhood and teenage years. My teenage years, were in fact much harder than my childhood. Yes, I was brought up in a loving household and was priviledged enough to receive all the necessities and things I needed. That being said, that still didn’t equal out the negatives I've dealt with like bullying, neglect from friends, poor educational support from teachers, people not understanding my mental health condition and Autism and struggling with a serious binge eating disorder later on in my teens. All of these variables lead to poor mental health, no self-respect, low self-esteem and the inability to let go.

Thanks to behaviour therapy, I'm learning and healing every day. Other than writing fiction, I believe that writing factual articles and personal stories about things like my disability, childhood memories and mental health awareness helps me heal from my past by expressing my thoughts and beliefs on the computer and on paper. Asides from writing in my diary, I have writing platforms like Vocal to create such amazing written masterpieces for the world to read and enjoy. I would bottle in many raw emotions and would feel guilty for doing the wrong things afterwards. To reduce the feeling of compunction, I write to speak my mind and express myself freely. I'm never ashamed to share my literary talents with people and will continue to do so. I'm proud of having the natural talent to write and I thank my Autism for giving me that "superpower".

2. To educate others on important health-related topics like disability and mental health awareness

Even though there’s more awareness on mental health and disabilities than ever before, I believe that people can benefit from more education on these specific areas. There is still stigma, bullying and a lack of acceptance towards people experiencing mental health conditions and cognitive disabilities like Bipolar Disorder, Down Syndrome and ADHD.

My personal experiences living with General Anxiety Disorder, Autism and Binge Eating Disorder inspires me to write insightful and meaningful stories to share with the world, which will hopefully give more people inspiration. My other hope is to educate and explain to people that living with mental health disorders and cognitive challenges like Autism can be a struggle, but there are many positives that not everyone knows about.

Other than writing Vocal stories about my personal experiences living with mental illness and Autism, I want to eventually write and publish a collection of short stories with characters living with disabilities and mental health disorders like Autism, Schizophrenia, Cerebral Palsy and Acquired Brain Injury. These stories would be mainly for children and youth, but I also want to write adult stories that emphasize on the themes of friendship, disability acceptance, mental health awareness and inclusivity.

3. To be famous for many amazing things

Believe it or not, I've wanted to be famous by the time I entered the third grade. I wanted to be everything from a fashion designer, singer, dancer, actress and reality TV star, not knowing that some of these goals were unattainble, based on my level of experience and passion. I decided to be a famous writer because I feel that's the most suitable occupation for me, besides working part-time in the wellness industry. My lengthy experience in both creative and personal writing makes both professional and recreational writing a possible and feasible thing. Unlike fashion design, I don't need a diploma or degree to be a writer. I enjoy writing more than doing any kind of fashion design. I dance only for fun and I'm too shy to sing. My parents don't think its modest for me to be a reality TV star. To be honest, I would rather be famous for my literary work, words of wisdom and source of knowledge than for the stupidest things like throwing pies in celebrities faces and fist fighting with the worlds famous rapper.

When I was in high school, my interest in literary arts grew as my taste in reading increased. I enjoyed taking English classes and did quite well in them. My extensive vocabulary and wisdom grew over the years and I was able to inspire many of my classmates, teachers, social workers, family members and friends. My interest in neurodiversity developed when a child and youth worker in my class did a whole lesson on it and I will never forget it. Because of her, I'm applying my wisdom and knowledge of neurodiversity by writing my own quotes, writing poems and blogging. I want to be famous for many things like writing the most entertaining and inspirational short stories about kids with disabilities.

4. To preserve my creativity

I've been pursuing creative arts by the time I was a toddler and have made fond memories doing all forms of art. I refuse to give up my creativity as that's something I truly treasure and will preserve for the rest of my life. I believe that life is boring without doing art or any type of creative activity. Writing has healed me mentally, psychologically, cognitively, spiritually and emotionally and I believe it's the best medicine for people living with mental health issues and learning disabilities.

I want to write as many poems, short stories, articles, recipes and diary entries as possible and save them for people to view. I also want to draw, paint and knit as much as I can, so I can donate as many art pieces as I can. I want to do that for the rest of my adulthood, so people can think of me as "the woman who didn't paint, draw and knit for profit but for kindness". I want to be portrayed as the woman who always valued creativity.

5. To speak about all the interests I have without being ashamed to share my knowledge on a variety of topics

During my high school years, I loved getting up in front of the class to do presentations. I enjoyed the feeling of being a teacher and educating my classmates on what I was interested in. When I took classes like Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity, Travel and Tourism, English, Geography, Canadian History, Ancient History, Civics and Science, I used to do both individual and group presentations regularly. For my Travel and Tourism class that I took in the 12th grade, I had to do several presentations on topics like music and cuisines from around the world. . Even in college, I've done both group and individual presentations and I'm never hesitant to get up and speak in front of the class, unlike some of my other classmates and friends who get extremely shy and nervous. My dad is a religious worker and gives presentations on a weekly basis, so I guess I take over my dad. I'm lucky to have inherited the "motivational public speaking genes" from my dad!

Writing on Vocal brings back memories from high school, when I used to do all those presentations. Soon, I'll be passed that stage in which I give presentations to the class. I've always been a passionate learner and I believe that there's no point in learning if you can't apply it. So I'll just learn and teach others through my writing!

Thank you for reading this article. My hope was to motivate other potential and current writers to not give up and to find your reasons for writing! If you enjoyed reading this story, please click on the ❤️ button, share with others and don't hesitate to send me a tip. To connect with me on social media, follow me on Instagram @naturalbibliophile22. Visit my public profile to view more stories and stay tuned for more exciting poems and stories!