What writing does for me, (Or why I write.)

 I have been writing articles for hubpages since March, 2009, and I havent written one yet where I talk about what I get out of writing, so here I go.

I have always had a desire to write ever since I was a small child. I learned how to read faster then the other kids in school, and I wondered where the stories I was reading came from, and wanted to know where they came from, what the process was. My mother greatly encouraged my reading, and would explain a concept to me in a way that my kid brain would understand. I guess she figured that if I was a reader, then she wouldn't have to worry about me getting into trouble, because I would always be reading. (It worked, too, because I never got into any real trouble besides normal kid stuff).

When I was 12 or 13, I decided that I wanted to be a writer when I grew up. I always pictured myself in a private library in a huge house somewhere in the country writing stories that would put Papa Hemmingway to shame. Well, we all know that something gets lost in translation between your childhood dreams, and the way circumstances shape your life as an adult.

I finished high school, enlisted in the US Navy, served for 6 years overseas, got out, came home, and found a job. Writing anything kind of got put on the back burner. Of course, this was before PC's, the internet, and even wordprocessers. Then, writing meant exactly that, paper and pencil or typewriter. Also, there wasn't a real good way to get your work to your intended audience anonymously. I did a few short stories, but I was always afraid to let anyone else read them for fear that they might say that I wasn't very good, or that my work just sucked.

Last year, (2009), I was browsing online when I ran across hubpages entirely by accident. I had been thinking of doing some writing just for fun, so I signed up, and here I am, writing this article a year later.

Writing for me has been therapeutic. I get a lot of satisfaction from putting my thoughts into sentences, and merging those sentences into paragraphs, and then into articles. I know that I most likely will never be a Ernest Hemmingway, a Robert Louis Stevenson, or a Stephen King, and thats ok. Those guys had a gift, which I don't have, nor will I ever, but thats no reason why I can't write these articles. I enjoy sharing my point of view and experiences from my life. I hope that that articles I have written on automobile matters has proven helpful to somebody. I know that everybody doesn't agree 100% with my politics, nor should they. That's one of the greatest things about this country is that everyone is entilted to have thier own opinion and voice it with no fear of recrimination. That's one of the greatest things about our country.