I’ve not thought much about this before besides the obvious — I’ve always liked words, I’ve always liked to read, writing came naturally to me, etc. But in doing some reflection this morning, I discovered another reason: it’s orderly.

Words organize thoughts and feelings. They organize a life. It’s hard for me to know what to think or how to feel if words are jumbled up in my head. Getting them down on paper organizes things.

I had no idea how my dad’s job as a gravedigger influenced me until I sat down to write. I knew it had some impact, but exactly what that was wasn’t clear until I wrote We’ll Be the Last Ones to Let You Down. This orderly process also helped me see what was going on in Camilla’s life.

I have been accused of being a Type A personality 🙂 I do love spreadsheets! And I love lists — to-do lists, shopping lists, lists of daily observations. So the organizing quality of writing appeals to me.

What about you? Why do you write?