It’s easy to get lost.

Speaking for myself anyways. That’s especially true when it comes to writing.

Sometimes my voice gets lost in the pressure to write something. Something that will “wow,” that will change the world, that will make it into the history books. Sometimes I get lost.

The pressure to produce can be suffocating, overwhelming. And I have to remind myself constantly who I’m writing for. I am sure you – if you strive to write anything at all – have to do the same thing, too.

Whether it’s a blog post, a magazine article, a novel or a Facebook status: it’s so easy to forget who you’re writing for. Or, rather, who you should be writing for.

Yourself.

You need to write for you. I need to write for me. And not because we want to “wow” the world. Because we love to write. Not to be selfish or egotistical. But because we want to be true to ourselves. To our voices. To what we were placed on this earth to say.

Are you writing for yourself or someone else?

If you’re serious about finding out, ask yourself why you write.

Is it just to be heard? Or is it because you have to write or you’ll explode? Is it so someone will notice you, pat you on the back and say “good job”? Or is it because you would write even if you were the only person on the face of the earth?

The reason you write will tell you a lot about who you’re writing for.

And that can mean the difference between losing your voice and finding it.

Quick Tip: put “write for you” on a sticky note and post it where you’ll see it every day.

Question: Who do you write for? How do you remind yourself to write for you?

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P.S. Make sure to read the first post in this series: “3 Ways to Write When You Feel Like You Can’t“.