What's Your Writing Why?

by Tammy Karasek @TickledPinkTam

As a writer, do you remember the actual reason you believe you are called to write? Maybe you felt this feeling, this calling during the past year. Or maybe you felt the need to put words to paper many years ago. 

Perhaps someone in your life placed the thought into your mind when they told you—you should be a writer.

Whenever it was that you felt it, the nudge, that whisper deep in your soul … tell them MY story. Can you remember that? Do you remember where you were? Did it excite you and give you the enthusiasm to dig in? Did you second-guess if it were true? I’ve heard people do that—ahem, yeah, so I’ve heard. Wink.

I sure remember when it was for me. It was Sunday, June 19, 2011 sitting in a Father’s Day sermon. A vivid, almost audible answer to a prayer I lifted heavenward. “What tool am I in your tool belt, Lord? How do I serve you now that I’m an empty nester?” 

Intently listening to the pastor, we all looked back down to our Bibles for the next passage and mine had flipped to the concordance. As plain as plain could be, there on the left side of the Bible, all the other words had paled except for the word WRITE, which stood out like a neon sign. 

That day I knew God was calling me to write.

Not just for myself or in my journals any longer, but to actually write about Him. To tell His story wherever and whenever I could. 

He didn’t give detailed instructions. Nor did he promise me wealth or fame with my words. Only one strong directive—write.

While each of us is created by a God who loves us big, He crafted us in many different ways. And so there are also many ways to say the same thing. You may say: but it’s already been said. However, each person understands things differently even though they are the same meaning. Sometimes a writer will use totally different words to describe or explain the same thing as another, but their message becomes more obvious to someone that didn’t catch it said in another way. Or your message may be very similar but it is presented to a person who needed to hear it at the appointed time your words were shared. The message was clear to them at that time.

Take some time and think back to your why. Why did you begin to write? Why did you think you should write? Your why … if it was to make a bajillion dollars and be on every best seller list in the industry … in the words of that TV doc, “how’s that working for ya?”

If your why was because you can’t help but write to share hope and kindness and love. Or to share and boast of the Creator of those qualities, well, yeah, go back to that. If you’ve lost your why along the way, ask God to turn your shoulders the right direction. To set you on the path that He has for your words about Him.

Ask for the discipline to regularly sit and write wherever and whenever you’re in the zone spot and time may be for you.

What about you? Have you lost track of your initial why you write? Do you think today may be the day you reconnect and refocus your writing with your why in mind?

Please share your thoughts in the comments below. We love to talk with you, our readers, all about writing!

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What's Your #Writing Why? Insight & Inspiration from @TickledPinkTam on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)

You’ll find Tammy using humor and wit to bring joy and hope to every aspect in life. She’s gone from down and defeated from a past filled with bullying and criticism from family to living a Tickled Pink life as she believes there is always a giggle wanting to come out! All because of HIM.

She’s the Social Media Coordinator for the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference. President of ACFW Upstate SC, Past-President and current member of Word Weavers Upstate SC and Past-President of Cross N Pens Writers Group. She’s a member of My Book Therapy/Novel Academy. A writing team member for The Write Conversation, contributor for the Learn How to Write a Novel Blog and others. Published in the Divine Moments Compilation Book—Cool-inary Moments.

She’s married to her college sweetheart Larry, a mom to their grown daughter, Kristen and excited to add a son-in-law in 2021. Born and raised in Ohio, she now lives in South Carolina. Connect with Tammy at HTTPS://TAMMYKARASEK.COM.