Hello there my lovely virtual Gods and Goddesses, and my fellow Blogging University peeps! Today’s assignment is a bit of a toughie for me. The question posed is, “Why Do You Write?”

I Have No Idea Why I Write! 

This is not a question I’ve ever asked myself before. I think that means buckle up folks, because you are along for the ride as I complete this assignment and discover for myself why I write!

Ok, Let’s Figure Out Why I Write

I suppose I write for a creative outlet, but I don’t think it’s the writing in-and-of itself that floats my boat, but rather the combination of the writing and my addiction to Second Life photography. This blog grew out of that addiction – as the photography got my creative juices flowing, my love of stories began to seep out around the edges and I started writing little stories in my photos’ descriptions on Flickr.

From there I decided that I wanted a forum where I could display my photos in something besides just a Flickr stream, where I could add the stories that go with them. And this blog was born. In addition to the Stories section, I also write about awesome bargain finds and hunts, and pretty places to visit in Second Life.

This is why I’m writing now, and what I’m writing for fun.

Why I Started Writing

But I started writing because it was something I had to do in various jobs I held, the most influential ones in regards to writing being jobs associated with communications, public outreach, and social media outreach. I had to write press releases, web site info pages, community outreach presentations, speeches, local paper articles and all that stuff that goes with public outreach work.

Presently in real life my business services include teaching people how to build a strong brand identity, how to use social media effectively to market their business (or their blogs!) and/or providing those blogging and social media outreach services to them if they don’t have the time or inclination to do those tasks themselves. My graphic design work sometimes entails writing copy for whatever project I’m working on.  I also host online workshops on a variety of topics including branding, social media marketing, and even blogging – so if you Blogging 101 peeps want some extra tutoring in building audience, branding and blogging, let me know, I’ll be happy to schedule an affordable workshop for my fellow Blogging 101 and Writing 101 peeps! (Ok, shameless marketing schpiel is done, I promise!)

But all that stuff added up to a lot of writing of practical, informational and educational materials, and business reports. Not really so much fun, but I never disliked doing any of that writing. In fact, I found I actually enjoyed that part of the job. Even when writing business stuff, the author’s voice and personality can inject itself somewhat into the written material, and making it fun or at least easier for the recipients to read was always satisfying.

And that, my lovelies, concludes this Writing 101 Day 1 assignment post on “Why Do You Write?”  Thank you for reading, and if you’ve made it alllllll the way to the end here, I applaud you!  Now if you want to read something that’s actually fun, check out a few of my faves from the stories section:

The Butterfly Healer

Symphony Under the Banyon Tree

Mission: Crustacean Liberation