Why Do You Write?
Editor’s note: Cheryl was a finalist in the Blank Spaces 2021 Fiction Anthology Contest and her story was published in The Things We Leave Behind, released by Chicken House Press on April 30, 2022.
Why do you write? Do you see writing as a passion, as healing, as a means of artistic expression, or as a profession? Where do your words sit? These questions have come up frequently for me over the last few years.
For me, writing began as a passion as a child. Yet despite my childhood drive, life steered me away from my true creative expression for almost 40 years. As an adult and medical professional, then as a CEO of a healthcare business, writing and crafting tales became a means of articulating my appreciation for others — a way to express validation and hope. Occasionally, I’d jot down a poem or short story idea. I’d tell my children quickly made-up stories each night when they were little. Yet I never put them to ink. Then came the event that shook my world: I suffered a traumatic brain injury. I was terrified when I couldn’t read or make sense of business documents — the head injury’s damage was clear. I was forced to make a significant life choice and leave the stressful world of my medical business behind.
As I searched for ways to heal, writing became one of the earliest gifts of my head injury. Writing resurfaced as a path towards recovery and rehabilitation (along with Sudoku, math, and word-puzzles—all have been shown to help the brain heal, retraining damaged neurons). It allowed me to slow down, listen, and notice life’s beats more. I rediscovered that I had a voice. Slowly, my brain learned the love of words again.
Today, I tend to use writer rather than author when referring to myself. After all, I’m still learning, and I admire the work of more developed authors (shout out to all the editors and judges who provided feedback on my submissions these last few years!). I feel like author is something others call you. As another Twitter user commented, “author” seems stiffer than “writer.” My favourite thing to do each morning is to read someone else’s story and realize, “Wow, that’s good,” before sitting down to write. It helps put every rejection into perspective. It allows me to strive to be better and to keep at it. Once I built up the courage to begin entering writing competitions and submitting my work, I didn’t just receive rejections (although there’s been plenty!) — I was also met with encouragement, helpful feedback, and eventually, some success. Being a finalist in Blank Spaces Magazine’s Fiction Anthology Contest last year is just one example of my progress.
To this day, I still need to triple-proof everything — remnants of my head injury can still cause me to leave out small words in my first drafts (conjunctions, pronouns, prepositions). When speaking, I sometimes replace the word I intended to say with a word that sounds or looks the same, but isn’t. I am at peace with it. I like this slower paced me, and I love that I have time to tell stories again. I’ve become a master proofreader and editor — show me your draft, and I’ll find the holes! Writing has fully returned as a passion — there is no money in it, at least for now, but I’m enjoying rediscovering what I think I was intended to do. Every acceptance, compliment, and contest win/finalist/shortlist announcement is a gift — validation that I’m where I’m meant to be.
So, my insight is this: whether you see writing as a calling, artistic expression, a means of healing, or a career path, I hope that you always feel compelled to craft stories — that you embrace the need to tell. You never know who you’ll reach, what impact your shared heart will have. So let me rephrase the question I first posed. I think the question isn’t, “Why do you write?” nor is it “Do you call yourself a writer or an author.” The question I have for you today is: have you started writing yet? Are you finding your voice, weaving your values and personality into your work? Are you able to accept feedback so you can continue to learn and grow? Do you read the work of others? If you are doing all these things, then you are a writer. Each time you share your work, you are an author.
When I started work on my first novel, the adage “write what you know” kept appearing in my research. I think that advice can be taken one step further. I’d say, “write who you are.” If I examine my published fiction pieces, even my novels — those that I’ve been honoured to have place in competitions — there is a common thread across them all. They each grew out of real feelings, authentic experiences, or ideals that haunted my dreams — fiction, sure, but honest fiction.
Keep writing from the heart and for the joy of it; I know you’ll get where you want to go. Every story is worth telling, and every story has an audience — you just need to find them. Maybe, just maybe, you’ll find them by entering this contest. What have you got to lose? If I can do it, I know you can too. (If you need more incentive, feel free to find me on Twitter @cherylskorysuma—happy to chat).
To support Cheryl’s writing and to read the story that put her in the finalist circle — “Finding Words in Stages” — purchase your copy of The Things We Leave Behind from the CHP bookstore. A Kindle version is available through Amazon and a KOBO version is available through the Kobo store.
Interested in the 2022 Anthology Contest? Learn more HERE.
*this post contains Amazon links - any purchases made through these links returns ad dollars to Chicken House Press
You can listen to Cheryl sharing a little excerpt from her touching story in this clip from the winner reveal event. (Beginning at 10:16)
