When I think of a writer, the image that comes to mind is a disheveled individual surrounded by mountains of clutter and coffee as they scratch a pen to some paper. However in this day and age, it's safe to say that we've progressed further than the previously constructed idea of what a writer looks like. Writers come in all shapes and sizes, and anyone in spite of their age has the capability to be expressive writers if they choose to do so.

For as long as I can remember, I have always been writing. Whether it was through fictional children stories or hiding my diary in my closet, I constantly felt the desire to express my thoughts through the connection of pen and paper.

It's always been easier for me to express how I feel through writing; I could never vocalize my thoughts and give them the justice that they deserved. Especially when it came to moments that I chose not to be confrontational about, I found it therapeutic to write down everything I felt. As if I was taking the words and thoughts out of my head and putting them on the paper, separating myself from them and allowing myself to move on.

One thing I quickly learned while growing up is that nothing ever stays the same. Life is constantly changing along with the people who chose to enter and exit your life. The only thing that remains constant is you, and even that changes and grows over time.

There were many periods in my life that made me feel like I was hopeless and that there was nothing more I could do to pry myself out of the abyss of a situation. Could I address the situation head on? Sure. Would I actually get the courage to do that? Of course not.

But the issue was more than just addressing the situations occurring on the outside. It was the fact that I didn't know how to handle the problems I had with myself, the things going on internally that I couldn't see.

It's easy to look at a body part and see that it's broken because the appropriate thing to do is to go to the doctor and get it fixed. But when you're not satisfied mentally, emotionally and even socially, how can you tell if something is even truly wrong?

At one point in my life, I wasn't happy with who I was. I didn't like the body I was in, I didn't feel like I had anything exciting to contribute to the world, and I felt like I was alone throughout most of it. I wasn't afraid of people not understanding how I felt, but I was worried that if I addressed the issues like any other problem, I wouldn't be able to find a remedy to fix them.

Little did I know that writing would be my answer to all of that.

I didn't have to keep all of my thoughts trapped inside my mind because instead I could take them out and put them on a piece of paper. I could just write however I wanted to with no restrictions, no rules, and no iambic pentameter requirements in order to deem it worthy of acceptance.

Writing can range anywhere from venting in a diary entry to song lyrics that capture how you truly feel. But the best part of it all is the give and take between the writer and the reader.

The writer gives pieces of themselves to the paper because there's an unsettling feeling within them. Something is stirring inside that needs to be let out, and the writer gives that up and attempts to give it the eloquence and depth it deserves.

The reader looks at it and resonates with the writing because they too find pieces of themselves in the writing that they couldn't previously describe. They have found what they were feeling in someone else's words, and that establishes an inexplicable, symbiotic bond between the writer and reader.

Through writing, I ended up discovering the beautiful qualities that I had yet to find within myself. I realized that I do have something to contribute to this world, and it fills me with a joy I hope everyone experiences in their lifetime.

So that's my story, now go write yours.