Why I write

So CJ and Mel asked if I'd like to participate in the Why I Write blog hop.
You know me and a bandwagon. I jump on, and worry about grabbing the reigns later.

What Am I working On?

I write, but I am not a writer. That's not to say that I wouldn't like to be. I wonder how many of us writing our blogs have harboured an ambition to write. I remember telling my Headmistress that I would like to be a novelist when I grew up. She advised that I consider the police force. I thought then that writing was probably just a hobby or a phase. All my teenage angst was furtively scribbled into my diary, and then hidden in the airing cupboard so that my sister couldn't find it. I still have them.

I also have all my poems from when I was about six, my short stories that were entered into competitions, my alternative school magazine (which got me into a lot of trouble with the aforementioned headmistress), a couple of aborted attempts at writing that novel, a mock 'Hello' type magazine that I created and distributed with my friend at University. My counselling journals and late night ramblings. They are all written down in my indecipherable scrawl.

So maybe I am working on writing. Working on finding my voice and writing down what I see and feel. I lack the skill and refinement of a writer, so maybe I should work on that too.

How Does My Writing Differ From Others In My Genre?

I can only compare myself to the fellow bloggers that I read and follow. I tend to gravitate to people leading similar lives to me. I love reading the blogs that talk about all things normal and mundane, interspersed with daily gems of gorgeousness and funny and sometimes sad. Maybe my writing can be a rather 'knee jerk' affair. I tend to process on the page, using my blog as a way to let off steam. I'm quite composed and reserved in real life, so I guess I use this space as an emotional outlet. I don't often read knee jerk posts from the other bloggers that I follow. Maybe that's a difference? Anyway I really like being part of a group of like minded people. I don't feel the need to differ.

Why Do I Write What I do?

I write what I do because it gives me pleasure. I look forward to sitting down and writing. It soothes me.

How Does My Writing Process Work?

I sit down and write. That's it! I sometimes have an idea and scribble that down. I write down funny things that I overhear. I write down anything that moves me. I write what I see around me. I have been scribbling down all those topsy turvy sentences that olly has been saying since he could talk. I can often be seen in Fore Street rummaging around in my bag for pen and paper to record something I've seen and heard. It's not really a process, is it?!

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I have asked several people if they'd like to hop along, but they already have! So if you'd like to write about why and how you write then that would be grand.

Leanne xx