Why I Write Writing is a motive of expression. It’s as simple as that, from the moment we’re born we’re taught to use our words to express ourselves; it’s through these means that we live. Were it for a lack of being able to write, it would be impossible for us to live the way we do. Joan Didion, in her essay Why I Write, says that “In many ways writing is the act of saying I, of imposing oneself upon other people, of saying listen to me, see it my way, change your mind.” Didion makes a point that is clear, we write to convey our views, our thoughts, our ideals. As human beings we have a collective need to express ourselves, and we feel a primate need to be an influence, in fact I remember reading a quote by Stephen Covey which says that “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply” and in my opinion that is not a particularly bad thing. When we interact with people we tend to speak too fast, underthink a situation. The job of sitting down, organizing your thoughts, and writing them in an organized manner is the proper way to express ourselves. In an essay I wrote about Miley Cyrus earlier this year I said, “There is never escaping judgment there is only learning how to deal with it.” A phrase I look back at now months later and feel instantly connected to. The idea that I was able to put that sentence together flabbergasts me. It’s through the act of writing that I am able to coherently organize my thoughts, and