WHY I WRITE — Passions

*I’ve never been as articulate speaking as I am writing. There’s a clarity that comes when it’s just me and my thoughts, no one else in the way. I can say everything first, reorganize later, build the storyline I actually want. And when the words are carefully chosen, they can be powerful enough to move someone’s heart.* *I’ve been writing since I was 12, from a scientific paper in junior high to personal essays and policy briefs. I write poems too, but only when I’m extremely happy or extremely sad. The in-between doesn’t inspire anything.* *I like that writing can outlive me. Long after I’m gone, my thoughts are still gonna be there, waiting to be read by someone I’ll never meet.*