Why Do I Write? Writing Helps Me Organise the Chaos and Anxiety in My Beautiful Mind Just Like Ernest Hemingway, Virginia Woolf, and Sylvia Plath

Why do I blog? That’s a complicated question; I’ve never pondered it before

A Grain of Salt | ElbyJames
3 min readDec 13, 2023

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A depressed clown holding a sign that reads, “Life is a fucking circus.”
There’s nothing like a depressed clown to ruin your day. Photo by Oleg Ivanov on Unsplash

The history of why I write is full of holes. The furthest I can recollect was in the 6th grade. I wrote a five paragraph essay — remember those? — on the Constitution of the United States of America.

The competition was sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR.) I came in second place in the state (Oklahoma) which was a big deal; the local newspaper wrote about me and the other winners. We nervously read our essays on public access television.

It would be nearly forty years later — when I enrolled into university — before I would write again; academic writing is my love.

I guess there are several reasons why I write:

1. My thought processes have improved. It helps my analysis of situations and helps me with my self-introspection.

2. I communicate better. I make more sense now when I talk.

3. I read more. When I write, I usually engage in some sort of research. Research leads me to reading more.

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A Grain of Salt | ElbyJames

ElbyJames is an American disabled combat vet exiled in the UK & a free speech absolutist. He’s an occasional Top Writer