Finding Your Purpose as a Writer

In a recent post (What If You Gave Up…), I encouraged you all to not give up on your writing and press on even through the hard days. I told you how Jane Austen put Pride and Prejudice in a drawer for a time and even stopped writing for a decade. I reminded you that God doesn’t ask you give up, He asks you press on.

However, I’ve come to realize recently that there’s more to it than that.

The question I want to ask today is, what is your purpose as a writer?

What keeps you going through those hard days? What keeps you from throwing in the towel and admitting defeat? Why haven’t you quit by now?

The answer to all those questions is your purpose. Your purpose as a writer. We all have one, or should have one, we just need to figure out what it is.

Because on those days when you’re tempted to give up, sometimes you need more than a blog post telling you not to give up. You need to be reminded what your purpose is as a writer. Why do you write? While I can’t answer that question for you, I can tell you my answer.

I write to bring hope into the world. This world can be a dark and dreary place at times, and sometimes we need an escape—something to show us that there is still good. I find that between the pages of a book. And, with my stories, I want to do the same. I want my stories to bring light to the world and help teens feel less alone.

Now it’s your turn! What is your purpose as a writer? Grab a piece of paper right now and jot your answer down. It doesn’t even have to be very coherent, it just has to mean something to you.

Because this is why you write.

This is why you spend hours upon hours staring at a computer screen or bashing your pencil against a piece of paper (I know I’m not the only one to doodle in times of writers block). This is why all those times of struggles, tears, and frustrations are worth it in the end. Because you have a purpose, a reason to share your words with the world.

Sometimes, you just need to redefine it and refresh yourself what it is.

Your turn!

What is your purpose as a writer? Do you know the reason why you write? What has kept you from not quitting before now?

Blessings, Allyson