What Writing Has Done for Me

Writing was never a passion of mine when I was younger. I hated having to write when it came to schoolwork because I never thought my writing was good enough for anyone to read. Teachers and professors seemed to give me good grades for my writing, but I could never understand why, it sucked. One paper that I wrote which was based on real parts of my life earned me a spot as a guest speaker in one of her other classes. I felt honored that she asked me to.

Everyone that I met throughout life that heard my story about my life always told me that I should write a book. My life was traumatic and full of downfalls, but I managed to survive and that was what they told me I should write about. I thought they were crazy at first, but when I sit and think about it, I have a lot of knowledge to share with people.

I have been to some really dark places and came out on the other side with everything intact except for some mental health issues that I am dealing with now. They told me that I had stories to share and that I could possibly help others going through the same things and offer them some advice. I thought everyone was crazy until a couple of my therapists and counselors read some of my stories and learned about me and they encouraged me to do the same thing.

So, I sat down and began writing about one part of my life and found that there was a book inside me just on that one subject. I worked on it for a year because it made me realize what all I actually went through and how much abuse I took during those years of my life. I finally finished it and self-published it on Amazon. One of my therapists bought a copy and after reading it, she commended me on writing it because it was full of information that needed to be shared with a lot of people.

I lent a copy to any new therapist that came to work with me to read so that they could get a sense of where most of my trauma came from and it gave them knowledge to work with others who were going through the same issues that were having a hard time dealing with it.

I love helping people and through that one particular subject in one book, I found that there is a whole book series inside me that could help people. So, after that one book, I am working on the second book in that series with three more to follow. I am now an author writing fiction and nonfiction and it is helping me as well.

I am finding that writing books is a coping mechanism for my mental illness. Whether it be a fiction or nonfiction, it keeps me focused or allows me to fall into the world I have created and escape from my reality where only things that I allow will hurt me. Most of the fiction that I write are happy or fun places where I can enjoy myself.

I now have several books published with a few more hopefully finished by the end of the month. It has been a fun experience for me to write and get to know where my imagination can take me. I am also learning how to market my books which with being on a fixed income, it can be hard with the finances, but I manage.

I am not looking to get rich off writing, but it mostly is entertainment for me and my readers. I love to see where my mind goes and hopefully my writing will be a supplement to my low fixed income and that I can make it a business someday.