Writing is an escape. Just as books are an escape to the readers, it’s also an escape for the writers. However, certain life events make writing more stressful than helpful. And it is precisely for those reasons that I stopped writing, tried writing, and stopped writing (again).

I get it; I must not blame these external factors because maybe, I’m just not meant to be writing or to be a writer. But we are who we make us, and even though I find it hard to write, I do want to become a writer (not a famous one anymore, just a writer). So, I’ve come up with a way to force, I mean to practice writing creatively again.

But before I get to that, I want to share first, what writing is for me.

Why Is Writing Important For Me

Photo by Lisa Fotios from Pexels

It had been my dream since I was 8 to become a well-known writer. I even began writing at that age. My first story, I typed it in our Windows XP PC, was “The Girl Who Wants A New Dress.” Mind you, it had a very cliche plot, but I was proud of it. I penned it. If it had gotten published, I could have written my name under that title. My second story was simply an English translation of one of the stories that we read in class (I was in second grade then), The Boy And The Mermaid. Years later, I found out that there was already a published translation for that story. Hehe.

Later on, I wrote my first novelette, “My First Romance,” which my aunt mistook as a diary because it was handwritten. I was even reprimanded for it; I was told that I was a flirt (I was 11). She also took that notebook and hid it somewhere where it was chewed by a rat. That did not put me down, though. I rewrote the story and even planned two sequels for it. At 11, I was planning my first trilogy.

I continued writing as I went to high school, where I spent my vacant time writing short love stories. I continued to love writing up until my first year in college. Then, I stopped. Before I continue with the details about that, I want to tell you more about myself. I am a loner.

I never fit in with my peers at school. At home, I didn’t have playmates as I wasn’t allowed to go outside. I didn’t really like my siblings because I felt that I was always fighting for my parents’ attention because of them. So reading became my solace. I started devouring my science and English books. And when I finished reading them, I borrow my cousin’s books (she was a year older than me.) I didn’t have real friends, and I wasn’t allowed to go outside, but I’ve been to several places and time (I read a story from Canterbury Tales at 12 years old) because of my books. And through writing, I was able to create a world where I fit in and where people like to talk and listen to me.

At a young age, writing had been my escape in this world. What I couldn’t share with other people, I wrote. What I can’t express, I wrote. What was missing in me, I wrote. Writing had been one of the things I could do, and I could rely on always; until I lost it.

Why Am I Not Writing?

First off, I am, actually, writing. I work as a freelance content writer, and I am proud to share that I can finish an article in less than two hours. I write well, I guess, as I rarely get article returns (what our editors do when our work isn’t exemplary). So that’s an achievement for me, but not entirely. It is because writing for work is one of the reasons I don’t write anymore.

Photo by Startup Stock Photos from Pexels

Some people love it when their hobbies become profit makers. I thought I am one of them; I’m not. I also enjoy reading, and I did try to work as a reader (who writes book reviews); I quit. Hehe. It’s not me. I cannot enjoy doing my hobby for work because hobbies are supposed to be fun, and work is not exactly in that range for me.

Before I became a freelance writer, I worked in a marketing company, doing… writing, of course. I wrote content on a variety of topics (food, entertainment, travel, lifestyle, marketing, etc.). I ended up leaving that job after five months because I had difficulty working with my officemates (it was extremely stressful), and because I felt depressed. As I said, I didn’t enjoy it. I only chose to be a freelance writer because I needed to work (I’m a student again) for funds.

There is another reason, and it is what started my dislike in writing – university. I am a Communication Arts degree holder who majored in writing.

Photo by Startup Stock Photos from Pexels

When I went to college, I was a hopeful kid who has a dream of making it in the field of writing. I knew I wasn’t a genius writer. Still, I believed that all professionals started out as amateurs, and there I was in that stage. Unfortunately, my college experience turned the therapeutic effects of writing into nightmares for me.

Unlike in elementary and high school, where I was free to write, university professors wouldn’t let me have that freedom. Everything had to please them (duh, they give the grades). I thought teachers were supposed to encourage your creativity, it wasn’t the case in college. They had to butcher the students’ pieces to make it at par to their standards or to the canons.

And as a writing major, I had to live through those nightmares twice or thrice per semester. I had to vomit words every day, or else I would fail the course. I had to cough up ideas, lest I be called out in class for having lousy thoughts. I had to be this and that. No room for error. I braved through four years of that, then I snapped. I couldn’t take it anymore.

Maybe for some, these reasons were petty. But after college, I became anxious every time I try to write. It was not for fear of criticisms; it was for the fear that I wasn’t good enough to get something done. It was like being a four-year-old going to school for the first time, and getting bullied on that same day. That was the exact feeling that I had in college.

As much as I wanted to write creatively again, I couldn’t.

What I Want To Do About Not Writing

But, I couldn’t just give up my childhood dream of becoming a writer. So, I had to fight through the fear and insecurities, and just type the words. Not cough, or vomit, but type. I couldn’t push myself to write on my own, though. So I thought of a push. This is it, reader.

Photo by JESHOOTS.com from Pexels

I want to call out all those who are going through the same phase as I am (if you cannot write anymore for other reasons, you’re included too). I hope to form a group for aspiring writers (that’s who we are going to be). Topics or themes will be given every week or every two days, and we will be writing about it and presenting it to the group. All written works will be read by someone and will be critiqued by the group.

So what’s so different about this idea from what we have gone through in college?

Well, for starters, no grades. Critiques are meant to help us grow, that is why it must be given. Second, as writers, we dream of having someone read our work, so that’s what each member will get. Each member will be assigned a random story (though, I will read all of it, promise) to read and critique. However, all works are accessible to everyone.

How will we receive these critiques?

I’m not exactly sure yet. We can either designate a meeting day where we will talk with each other (online, of course) and discuss the highlights and points of improvement of the piece we have. We can use free online platforms for that (Google Hangouts, Skype, etc.). But that will be decided on when we know how many we will be.

What happens to our works?

This is the fun part – it gets published! Okay, it will not be immediately released by an actual publishing company (it maybe though!), but it will be posted online. I will create a WordPress site that will host all the works submitted. Yes, all the stories, because we all deserved to be read, even though we were still amateurs. You can share this site with your friends (I will share it with mine too), and through that, all the works will have better chances of being read.

What is it for me? Why should I join you?

Self-improvement and readership.

All writers have to begin somewhere. And I want to help you with that by creating an opportunity for you to push yourself to write and to motivate yourself because you have potential; you just have to move it.

And because we will likely come from different parts of the world, we will be able to introduce our work of art globally.

I will not get paid for this. You will not either, but I want to push you as much as I try to push myself too. Let’s all make our dreams come true together. After all, the adage did say that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

If interested, kindly comment, “I’m in!” below, and I’ll contact you via your email address. Let’s take the first step together.