Why Do You Write? By Writer Rachel Poli

It’s Tuesday, so you know what that means! Guest post day! This week’s guest poster is the lovely Rachel Poli who answers the question “Why do you write.”

Why do you write?

by Rachel Poli

I think anybody can write. While it’s not an easy task or even easy to get into if you take it seriously enough to have it your full-time career, I do believe anyone can be a writer.

Whether you write in a journal before bed each night, you recreate your favorite characters through fanfiction or let your imagination loose in a notebook for your eyes only or online for the world, you’re a writer.

I started writing when I was 10-years-old only because I wanted to copy my sister, who began writing fan fiction. I did that for a few years because I decided to branch out with my own original characters and plots. It was then that I decided I wanted to be a published author someday.

An old friend of mine got into writing through me. She was a great writer and we shared many ideas together, reading each other’s work, and even giving “feedback” on it as best as middle-schoolers could.

I had always thought she was a better writer than me. She had a certain way with words that I enjoyed reading. I now realize that I just have a different style than hers. But because of that, she always thought she was a better writer than I was.

We encouraged each other along, but it wasn’t until high school that I started working on my first novel. I told her about it and she immediately got offended and said that she was going to start working on a novel as well.

She spent three months on the novel, writing and editing it, and then self-published it right away. She put way more money into publishing it than she ever made off of the book. Yet, that didn’t stop her from smiling at me and saying, “I’m an author before you.”

Needless to say, I distanced myself from her as I realized she was competitive with me in more than just writing, among a few other things that have happened.

We stopped talking about seven years ago, but I still think of her from time to time. After all, we were friends for the majority of our childhood. And when I write, I often think about her book and what she’s doing now.

I’m still working on the same novel I started when I was in high school. It has gone through many changes and drafts and has expanded into a series. I’m in serious-editing-mode with it now along with another novel I wrote.

Those two are what I hope to publish in the near future, but I also have five other novels sitting and waiting to be edited and shown to the world.

Maybe they’ll be waiting for another few years or maybe their time will come by next year. Who really knows?

All I know is that I’m a good writer who is taking my time and enjoying the ride. And even if I never get published, I can honestly say I’m doing what I love.

It’s not a competition, it’s not a race. It’s just something I love to do and I hope I can inspire and bring joy to people with the words I pour my heart and soul into each and every day.

So, tell me: why do you write? Let me know in the comments below!

Connect with Rachel

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Big thanks to Rachel who did the guest post this week. It is so nice to meet all these writers (and artists/book reviewers etc) who have been generous with their time and experiences to guest post on The Eternal Scribbler. 🙂

I will be back on my usual slot (Friday 18:30 BST) with a new article. So do pop back. If you want to leave a comment, feel free. They are all moderated but unless you are being a complete asshole, it will probably get approved.

Happy writing

Ari