Why I Write: On Soul Debt and Min Jin Lee - by Valerie

I have a very cyclical relationship with writing that correlates with my happiness: generally, I can’t regularly motivate myself to write. Then every few years, at points when I am particularly, I feel compelled to write. Even though I still find it difficult to write, words somehow pour onto the page. During these moments, the pain of not expressing myself outweighs the pains that come with creating coherent writing — the immense frustration of staring in front of the screen unable to word the things I can so easily say during conversations with friends, the constant fear that my writing isn’t worth anything at all, the recognition that I must be a masochist for returning to this craft and wondering if I’m crazy for choosing such a painful hobby. During my freshman year of college, I was incredibly unhappy for reasons I won’t go into. I cried almost every day that spring. I’d take math class and start crying in the middle of class. I’d go eat dumplings with friends and start sobbing i

I have a very cyclical relationship with writing that correlates with my happiness: generally, I can’t regularly motivate myself to write. Then every few years, at points when I am particularly, I feel compelled to write. Even though I still find it difficult to write, words somehow pour onto the page. During these moments, the pain of not expressing myself outweighs the pains that come with creating coherent writing — the immense frustration of staring in front of the screen unable to word the things I can so easily say during conversations with friends, the constant fear that my writing isn’