Slice of Life Story Challenge

Slicers: Why do you write?

Stacey Shubitz
WRITE your slice. SHARE your link. GIVE some comments to (at least three) other slicers.If you're leaving your comment early in the day, please consider returning this evening or tomorrow to read some of our evening posters' slices.
WRITE your slice. SHARE your link. GIVE some comments to (at least three) other slicers.
If you’re leaving your comment early in the day, please consider returning this evening or tomorrow to read some of our evening posters’ slices.

Mid-way through the March Challenge I came across a poem Betsy wrote on Teaching Young Writers. It is entitled “Why I Write.” There are so many reasons each of us choose to write and to come back and share our writing with this community each Tuesday year-round. When you leave the link to your slice of life story today, consider answering the following question: Why do you write?

Why I Write

I write for myself
so I can express something
relive something
release something.
I write to hear my voice
to feel my words
to value myself.
I write to inspire
to awaken
to see
to reflect.
I write
for me.

–Betsy Hubbard

Published by Stacey Shubitz

I am a literacy consultant who focuses on writing workshop. I've been working with K-6 teachers and students since 2009. Prior to that, I was a fourth and fifth-grade teacher in New York City and Rhode Island. I'm the author of Craft Moves (Stenhouse Publishers, 2016) and the co-author of Jump Into Writing (Zaner-Bloser, 2021), Welcome to Writing Workshop (Stenhouse Publishers, 2019), and Day By Day (Stenhouse, 2010). I live in Central Pennsylvania with my husband and children. In my free time, I enjoy swimming, doing Pilates, cooking, baking, making ice cream, and reading novels.

109 thoughts on “Slicers: Why do you write?”

  1. I write to try to make sense of our hectic and raw chaos that is our life. It is a fun way to preserve moments we
    Swear we will always remember, but they slip away if they don’t get
    Recorded. It helps me better know myself and prioritize what is most important to our family.

    Like

  28. I write to get it down. I see things now – differently – and I need to record it. How I feel about it, how I see it, what I think about it, what happens next. All of it.

    Like

  37. I write because it helps me think through and deal with life situations. Today a student asked if I just get inspired to write all the time at home. He said something like, “You know…You’re putting on your shoes or something, and all of a sudden, you say, ‘I think I’ll go write a poem.'” The talk was that I must just sit around the house each day, writing, writing, writing. It was funny, but you had to be there! I got to explain that writing is HARD WORK!!! But…oh, so worth it when you can express yourself… and like anything WORTH anything, you have to MAKE yourself write many times!
    Tonight I wrote a BALLAD to my dear children…
    http://skunkle.blogspot.com/2013/04/my-ballad-my-dear-children.html

    Like

  40. I’m with Tami above. I write because I love it.. experimenting.. communicating. Writing helps me understand the world and myself. Writing is one of the few areas of life where I feel I have come close to having the skiil and ability to organize, compose, and implement. Oh.. and it’s fun. I should mention that. 🙂

    Best Love Letters Ever Received

    Like

    1. I almost forgot…Betsy’s poem is awesome. I was happy to see it in your post today Stacey. When I originally read it, it inspired me to write my own poem about why I write. There are so many reasons! I posted it in March if anyone wants to read it again.

      Like

  49. I’ve always had a blog incorporated into the website for the writing community I run, but I’ve really struggled to find my voice and purpose there. Slicing last month helped me do that. I think I’ve found a balance between professional and personal writing now, and I’m enjoying it so much. MY SOL is a reflection of how I hope to challenge the writers I work with to consider purpose too. http://www.wnyyws.org/blog/2013/04/multiple-choices/

    Like

  69. Todays slice is a landmark for my little one.

    Smile

    http://primarywordbyword.blogspot.com/2013/04/smile.html

    I write to push myself as a teacher. When I put myself in my kiddos shoes, I tend to appreciate their hard work more. When I’m tired and just want to put a star on their paper, I’m reminded of how powerful and important quality comments are. Writing helps me be a better teacher and gives me the push to document my life. Thank you for giving me this outlet to get my thoughts down and share them with others.

    Like

  70. I write to find myself, to understand what I believe, to soften my harsh edges, to vent, to love, to play, to discover, to nurture, to connect, and to grow. I write to become a better teacher. I write to give myself a chance to catch up with and control my meandering thoughts. What a great question…I may have to write/slice about this soon.

    Like

  73. I write because I teach writing and need to keep a practice going to share in the daily struggles of my students. I write in order to know what I think and what I feel. I write to connect. I write to share.

    This week, I wrote about a student who found his way. I feel blessed to be a teacher today.

    Beautiful Boy

    Like

  82. I write to clear my head. I write because the story, poem, letter, words need to be written. I write to heal. I write to experience every human emotion that is possible while my words are flowing. Plus, it’s way cheaper than therapy. 😉

    Today I write about crossing to the other side in my classroom and with my colleagues.

    Crossing over to the other side

    Like

  94. I can’t write about writing without adding the word, digital to the concept.. digital writing has transformed me. I am writing and making meaning getting messy with digital media. I just returned from a family wedding after sharing a new video. For me it was so much more than a slide show…
    I’m including it in my Slice for this week.

    Made with Love: Slice of Life Tuesday

    Like

Comments are closed.