Limitless.

When people ask me why I love to write, that’s what I tell them: it's limitless.

It’s limitless because

it allows you to send your mind to any time you wish - the past, the future, or even an ideal present. In attempts to escape reality, I’ve envisioned the craziest of fantasies, and the most perfect of futures. Writing has always been my parachute, strapped to my back to pull me out of harsh realities and let me center myself as I descend slowly back down to my daily life. From a young age, I’ve enjoyed writing fiction and fantasy because of the break it gives me from the obligations of life. As a high school student, I constantly have a lot of stressors swarming around my mind, and writing has helped me break free from the shackles that bind me to them.

It’s limitless because

no amount of writing will ever be enough to contain all the ideas a writer has. I myself have folders of documents with story ideas waiting to be pursued - ones that unknowingly reveal parts of myself I never knew existed. From essays for school to blogs and stories I’ve written for fun, I know that I will ever be able to look at the white stare of a blank document and run out of things to say. It’s helped me get through the hardest of times, and allowed me to share the happiest with my loved ones. I marvel at how such a simple craft allows me to express so much of myself and share it with others.

It’s limitless because

of the memories it holds. When my younger sister was born, I experienced feelings that I’ll never be able to replicate even if I tried. Even as a child, I scrawled thoughts and incoherent phrases into my princess journal to cope with the emotions I was feeling as we welcomed a new member to our family. Writing also helps me recall my most treasured memories. Looking back on the sentimental notes my friends have left in my yearbooks through the years brings back a sense of nostalgia that is indescribable. Similarly, reading the birthday cards I’ve received brings more love to my heart than any romance movie ever could. These pieces of writing melded together are what comprise some of the best moments of my entire life.

It’s limitless because

of the connections it forms. Writing allows people around the world to communicate; it pulls loved ones close together, and brings smiles to people’s faces everywhere. Not long ago, while cleaning my family’s home during quarantine, I came across mountains of books, papers, and diaries that my mom wrote when she was my age. Reading them helped me strengthen my mom and I’s relationship and understand her on a deeper level. It always amazes me how mere words on paper have the greatest unspoken power I’ve ever experienced.

It’s limitless because

the writer can use it to cope with the hardships of real life. When visiting my family in India, my mind becomes overwhelmed with all the new people, places, and thoughts. I often turn to scribbling thoughts and feelings, ones I can’t quite express, in the many journals I’ve been gifted through the years. These moments are when I appreciate writing the most; I’m able to say things on paper that I’m afraid to express in real life. When I experience moments of tension in relationships, having the luxury to sit down and document my feelings to sort through has saved me from making mistakes I definitely would have regretted. Writing has given me one of the most powerful coping mechanisms

Writing is, and always will be, limitless.

It has no boundaries, its impact is everlasting, its possibilities are truly infinite. It has remained one of the few constants I have in my life through the tumultuous years of growing up. Writing has shown me that although our pasts may have shaped us, we should never let ourselves be defined by it. As Victor Hugo famously said, “A writer is a world trapped in a person.”