Writing = Helping.
Christine Whitmarsh, M.S.
Data Storyteller Specializing in Quantitative Psychology | Uncovering the stories tucked into the data margins that even the best AIs can't spot. | Data/Statistics + Psychology + B2B + Creative.
Why are SO many people writing books???
Everyone and their mother is an author! I say this as a positive.
It seems like, more than ever, a whole lot of people are either writing or aspiring to write a book. Of course I’m a little biased, given my profession, but let’s look at Instagram and Twitter as evidence.
Search "writer hashtags" like #writerproblems, #writingproblems, and #writingcommunity (because writing is not ALWAYS a problem) and suddenly you’re surrounded by authors with manuscripts in various states of progress.
Tweets about daily word counts, writer’s block, plot holes, mental exhaustion, the need for more coffee, funny memes about #writerlife, rejections, frustrations, and triumphs.
Why do SO many people feel compelled to write a book?
Based on my daily conversation with authors and aspiring ones, I’ve come to believe that wanting to write a book seems more like the normal order of things, than NOT wanting to write a book. But again - I’m biased. I think we all have something to say.
Books aside, I believe that at our core, and history tends to support this, we are born storytellers. We are communicators. Beyond that, most people are good at heart and want to help others and we realize that sharing our stories and lessons (whether through nonfiction or fiction stories) does exactly that. (Sharing of ourselves with others also helps us as authors, but that’s a different email!)
Think of what happens when people post a problem on social media. It triggers an almost instant thread of others offering help and solutions, quite often by sharing their own experiences solving the same problem. Someone can simply post "woke up with a sore throat" and without actually asking, receive a dozen sore throat remedies. We want to help others by sharing stories of what we’ve gone through or are currently going through in life. It’s in our nature.
Therefore, it’s quite simple - when I hear, "I want to write a book," what I really hear is - "I want to help others." It’s who we are. Writing a book is simply a natural extension of that.
Christine “Ink” Whitmarsh helps authors, speakers, entrepreneurs, and high profile personalities develop, write and promote books that make a difference in the lives of their readers. Christine is the founder and CEO of The Ink Agency LLC, a book services agency offering coaching, author content strategy, and ghostwriting services. Christine resides in Jacksonville Beach, FL and when not changing the world with books she enjoys practicing Lyra (aka aerial hoop), and aerial yoga. Get your copy of her memoir: The Power of the Curve.