Exploring the Power of Intentions: Why Do You Write?

There are always going to be people who think they know more about your writing dreams than you do.

And those people must never become the reason why you & those dreams stop trusting each other. 

I learnt that lesson in an entrancing way. 

It seems like just yesterday when we were sitting by a bar nestled at the edge of a pristine white beach on the Kenyan coast. 

I was animatedly enjoying the company of some of my family, when I heard another of them dismissively comment: “her poetry is just a hobby.” 

“When is she going to make real money?” he asked.

This hadn’t been the first time he’d been inconsiderate of my work. 

It would be the first time however, I would ignore his comments. Swallowing my pride, momentary hurt and all. 

Why?

Because my knowing knew more than his all-or-nothing thinking. 

Yes, he was right. My poetry was probably not going to make me millions. 

But I already knew that. My intention was never to have them do so.

Instead, my poems were born from an enigmatic desire to know myself more deeply. 

And when I published my book, I did so, so others could see themselves more intimately through what I wrote. 

I share this because there is huge power in knowing the intentions behind why we write. 

It’s these intentions that become the difference between staying the course or stepping away when our writing journey threatens to become harder. 

It’s also the energy of these intentions that your readers will feel when they are immersed in the words you eventually offer them.

It’s these intentions are why I’ve had readers come back to me saying my poetry ‘anchors them in truth’ or ‘nourishes their soul.’

They are why one mother gifted my words to her daughters to share wisdom she could not yet express. 

They are why the words have been shared at weddings and cathartic poetry gatherings.

So I’d love to know from you -  what are the intentions behind why you write?