Some do, some don’t…

Some like it, other’s aren’t fussed…

I fall into the category of ‘loving’ it.

What am I referring to? Writing!

Why? Why write? What’s the point? Let me answer that…

For many, like me, writing allows them to record a visible account of what’s in their heads. It can take the form of journaling, poetry, storytelling or something more commercial. I do all the above.

I do all the above and I really do love it.

However, I do know that there are some who really don’t care to write anything down unless they have to. When it comes to my other half, it’s just shopping lists he writes – unless he asks me to do it! So I totally get it! Writing is just not his bag. Perhaps you know someone like that too. Do you understand it?

I have found over the years, in actual fact since I was a nipper, that I can write very well and that my writing is enjoyed by others. I’ve always written stories and poetry but when I began writing in my diary – or journal – as I hit my teenage years, something in me shifted. I could do this just for me. I could remove all the chatter from my mind and read it all later if I wanted to. It also got me into trouble as one of my early boyfriends opened my diary and read the content.

I am a dreamer and I write what comes into my head as well as what’s in my heart. So when he read what I wrote about an ex-boyfriend who was still a friend, he got really mad and told me to tear it up – or scribble over it. I was very impressionable at that age and foolishly, I did what he asked! I scribbled over a lot of my diary as I wouldn’t tear it up – it was way too precious, even with a lot of it now useless!

That relationship was destined not to last of course, and I wish I’d not been so gullible and weak. This very occurrence, however, made me more conscious than ever what journalling meant to me and so I carried on with fervour. I needed to see what was going on in my head. It was a release and often I didn’t even know what I was going to write.

My intuition started to flow through me and I began channelling stories and other content. I had no idea how I knew such things and where all the knowledge was coming from. My poems could be rather passionate in a heated, angry way.

At work, spending 40 years in various environments, moving jobs periodically, I always found my way into writing positions. I even discovered Marketing and Business Development after being released from one company through redundancy. 14 years had earned me some money for training and to find time to work out what was next. So, I chose the Chartered Institute of Marketing and sat my Certificate. This was to be the best decision I made for my career,

As a Writer with Marketing credentials, the next 25 years were pivotal to what I now do for my clients at Compelling Writing Limited. I had learned early on how to precis – or reduce – a document down to intrinsic detail. Now I was to learn the process of editing through compiling articles as the Editor of various newsletters. Other writing opportunities came along as a result of my willingness to be involved with anything where I might devote myself to the written word. This included Bid Writing, which is a unique style of writing, rather technical and certainly rewarding, as winning a bid meant acquiring work for my employers and colleagues.

I founded Compelling Writing Limited a registered company, in March 2016 after yet another redundancy. Instead of taking work under an umbrella company (a type of agency that acts as an employer, taking the hassle out of getting paid) I consulted with some friends and decided to go it alone. It’s been interesting to see how my company’s focus has evolved from Bid Writing to journalism, helping small to medium sized businesses create content for their websites and now to helping individuals write their books.

I am ecstatic with my clients’ successes, I’m with them as they grow, often teaching them how to write compelling content so they feel comfortable establishing their own style.

I work from home, I write and publish my own articles, I talk with thought leaders and I give back to my supporters. This is why I write! I help others write and get their work published, often supporting their business model and I channel content I don’t realise I know. I’m a creative; I don’t wish to be placed in a 6-sided box, there’s time for that when I’m gone from this planet!

So, my question is: “Why do you write?”

Let me know below and perhaps there’s something I might be able to help YOU with.

Thank you. Be sure to enjoy your day by doing what you love.

Andrea Nicole Smart