Six Whys of Writing

You pick a pen, grab a piece of paper and scribble?or, nowadays, turn on your PC, go to MSWord, exhaust your fingers on the keyboard?and you're done?instant article! That easy, and you're an instant celebrity.

It has been made clear that everybody can write. Why not? It's as basic as reading. Once you've mastered the alphabet, able to distinguish plural from singular and loaded your cerebral bank with tons of vocabulary, you're off to a good start.

Much has been written on the how-to of writing ? from poetry to essays to novels ? but only less on the why side of writing. Allow me to blab on that for a change.

Why write?

A semester of essay writing classes and four years of enduring journalism teachers who were fond of dumping projects with tight deadlines helped me come up with the reasons for writing.

Reason #1 Power

Writing is a good weapon in swaying opinions, influencing people's mindset and way of living and in fighting for causes believed in.

Being a writer, you can bask in the glow of glamour. You become a celebrity but most of all a leader.

Reason #2 Expression

Other than being a weapon of might, writing is a good outlet for your pent-up emotions. Also, it allows the graceful or direct presentation of opinions and know-how.

Reason #3 Attention

You can use writing to bring attention to an issue you deem important or to things unheard of, which you want to share. As for my case, the scribbled words became my voice.

Through writing, you can reach a great number of readers from all walks of life without exhausting your vocal chords.

Reason #4 Entertainment

You can write for people's delight, and even for your own entertainment when you've got nothing else to do.

Reason #5 Immortality

You can be immortalized through people's memory; the written works you leave behind would remind them of you and your ideals.

Reason #6 It's a Write-Or-Starve Situation

It's your job. No escape. Write or be fired.

Reason #7 For Others

Most of all, write for others, not only for your self. Use writing to reach out to someone who feels alone and misunderstood, and who needs all the comfort in the world. Use writing to teach a lesson. My mentors had made that perfectly clear to me.

Before, I was merely satisfied with creating a world of my own. I enjoyed playing god. However, I soon realized that to be a better writer, I must not write merely for myself.

As a writer, you have readers whom you communicate a world of ideas, and who are affected by what you write. Don't only think of yourself. By becoming a writer, you have taken a responsibility to the society. You are molding and reshaping somebody's persona.

As a writer, you move readers to do something. Lead them to the light; lead them to the truth. They deserve nothing less.

One of my mentors used to read this to me: A writer without a sense of responsibility is no better than the leader who goes on with his work without regard for the welfare of those he leads.

I have failed to remember the writer from whom those wonderful words came, but they are words that are not easy to forget.

Sheryl is a junior editor of publishing company CannonCreek Asia Inc., currently dealing with business news, and is a contributor to the Sun Star Daily Cebu. A journalism graduate, she writes short stories, poetry, essays and few novels.

elite cleaning services Mundelein ..
In The News:

Major Marquis fintech breach exposes 400,000-plus Americans' data through unpatched SonicWall vulnerability, with Texas hardest hit at 354,000 affected.
Free up iPhone storage fast by clearing large photos and videos from Messages app. Simple steps for iOS users to delete attachments without losing chats.
Scammers are flooding inboxes with fake tracking alerts that mimic real carriers, exploiting the holiday rush to steal logins and personal data.
The Fox News AI Newsletter brings you the latest news on AI technology advancements and the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Texas family reunites with missing 11-year-old cat Grayson after 103 days using Petco Love Lost's AI photo matching technology and community help.
Tired of AI customer service loops? These insider tricks help you escape "frustration AI" and get real human help when you need it most for urgent issues.
Unlock richer audio from your streaming apps with simple tweaks to volume normalization, equalizer settings, and quality preferences for cleaner sound.
Scammers are sending fake Facebook settlement payout emails that mimic legitimate notices from the privacy settlement administrator to deceive users.
Holiday shopping scams surge as fake refund emails target distracted consumers during Black Friday and holiday seasons, costing Americans billions annually.
The AI-powered IRMO M1 exoskeleton features four modes, including turbo, eco, training and rest for hiking, running, cycling and sports with eight-hour battery life.
OpenAI announced upgrades for its ChatGPT Images platform on Tuesday, saying the program can now make more precise edits and produce images more quickly.
Chrome for Android now turns web articles into AI-powered podcast conversations. Get hands-free browsing with Google Gemini's natural audio summaries.
LastPass faces $1.6 million fine from U.K. regulators after 2022 data breach exposed 1.6 million users. Password manager failed proper security controls.
Petco disclosed a data breach exposing customer Social Security numbers, financial account details, and driver's license information due to a software error.
Baseball teams can now analyze complete swing mechanics in normal training environments using Theia's markerless AI system that processes standard high-speed footage.
Smart home hacking fears overblown? Expert reveals real cybersecurity risks and simple protection tips to keep your connected devices safe from hackers.
MIT develops needle-free glucose monitor using light technology. Revolutionary device could replace painful finger pricks for diabetes management.
The ClickFix campaign disguises malware as legitimate Windows updates, using steganography to hide shellcode in PNG files and bypass security detection systems.
Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University designed a 21-foot dome that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining urban food system.
The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.
ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.
Android rolls out Emergency Live Video for 911 calls, letting dispatchers see real-time scenes during emergencies. Great for holiday travel safety.
Malicious Chrome and Edge extensions collected browsing history, keystrokes and personal data from millions of users before Google and Microsoft removed them.
Google's new Call Reason feature lets Android users mark calls as urgent before dialing, displaying an urgent label to recipients using Phone by Google app.
Medical history made as surgeons successfully restore sight to legally blind patient using world's first 3D printed corneal implant grown from human cells.

Top 7 Tips For Submitting Articles Online

Online PR in the form of website and ezine article... Read More

Financial Planners Publicity - Increase Your Search Engine Ranking with Web Articles

The goal of free publicity is to get your name... Read More

Articles: How To Turbo Charge Traffic When Your Promotion Budget Is Tiny

Writing articles for your site and for the use of... Read More

Reprint Articles Hijacked by Text Link Ads - Great for Authors!

We all know that online publishers earn revenue from our... Read More

Will This Be Your First How-to Report?

You've got to start somewhere, but once you've created your... Read More

How to Be An Expert In Your Field

One of the most tried and true methods of self-promotion... Read More

Effective Affiliate Marketing Using Articles

Every day thousands of people join affiliate programs and yet... Read More

Incredibly Bad Articles Will Kill Your Credibility

I've noticed a disturbing trend recently of articles suggesting that... Read More

Exposing Your Expertise

Writing and leveraging articles is my most successful strategy for... Read More

Reward Those Who Publish Your Articles!

It is pretty obvious that content is king online. It... Read More

How to Write Articles to Sell Your Book

Selling books online means that you need to get interested... Read More

Article Writing: 5 Tips on How to Pull and Hold the Reader

Okay, so you're getting a feel for this article marketing... Read More

The RIGHT Way To WRITE Articles

As a follow up to my previous article on the... Read More

Ten Top Tips For Good Article Writing For Promotion Of Your Business

Writing and distributing articles on the internet is one of... Read More

How To Edit Your Articles As You Write

Increase your ezine subscribers by submitting articles once or twice... Read More

Review of Ezine Article Creator V2.0

By now most entrepreneurs realize that the most cost effective... Read More

Article Writing - Positive Author Questions To Ask Yourself

Article writing can be such an intimate act as you're... Read More

Sticky Leads

The first twenty-five words of your article are the most... Read More

Theres More Than One Way To Carve This Turkey

Although this may sound like a funny metaphor, if you... Read More

Article Marketing 101: The Perfect Author Resource Box

If you want to really make your article "SELL" then... Read More

Article Marketing: Capture the Other Half of Your Target Market

Heard about article marketing but not sure why you'd need... Read More

How to Use Articles to Generate Free Traffic to Your Website

Writing articles that are available for reprint is an excellent... Read More

Be a Jerk - And Watch Your Business Grow!

Who remembers the 1979 movie, The Jerk with Steve Martin?... Read More

Write From Home: Lessons From The Editors

Writers talk about rejection all the time ? just part... Read More

Use Your Expertise to Write That Article!

Have you ever seen articles that are not only related... Read More

Airbnb cleaning service Mundelein ..