Announcing #IWriteBecause: A Campaign For Writers, By Writers

The pinnacle of a writer’s life may not ever be a tearful speech at the Oscars. (“I want to thank my ergonomic keyboard for not giving me carpal tunnel.”) However, though it might not take the form of a miniature golden statue, all writers possess inspirations that drive them to put pen to paper. So what's yours?

Today, the team at Reedsy is proud to announce #IWriteBecause — a new charitable campaign that’s asking writers everywhere just why they write.

Why did we start #IWriteBecause?

Across the globe, writing communities and its constituents are more widely dispersed and diverse than ever.

With this in mind, we wanted to create a social media campaign that would bring writers together to celebrate both our diversity and the common passion we all share. We’ve aided over 2,000 authors in bringing their books to life — and we’re aiming to inspire more people, no matter where they live or what their background is, to do the same.

How does it work? Send us an #IWriteBecause video and we’ll compile all the stories on our site.

Here's the best part: #IWriteBecause is also about empowering the next generation of readers and writers. So for every author who contributes a video, we’re donating $10 to our partner, Room to Read, a non-profit foundation that focuses on literacy acquisition and girls’ education in Africa and Asia. Over 11.5 million children have benefited from Room to Read’s charity efforts in over ten countries. Listen to our founders talk about the campaign below.

We know that words are powerful — and now more than ever, we can use our words to get the message of writing out and do good. Perhaps one day a child who watches your video will be able to say that #TheyAlsoWriteBecause.

How can you contribute to #IWriteBecause?

Submit your short, one-minute video via the campaign site, and tell us your reasons for writing. In doing so, you’ll be joining writers of all stripes who already sent in videos, including bestselling author Mark Dawson, award-winning food and travel writer Joanna Pruess, USA Today bestselling author Carter Wilson, New York Times bestseller David Heinemeier Hansson, and popular BookTuber Hailey LeBlanc.

We’re featuring a couple of videos every day on the site, so feel free to browse through other writers’ stories! The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, or so they say.

Here are a few questions to get you started:

• Why do you write?
• What do you love the most about writing?
• What do you get out of writing?
• What do you want to achieve by the end of your career as a writer?

So grab your phone or a camera now. You can change a child's life for the better. All it takes is a minute to fill in the blank and say via video: I write, because ___________.

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Why do you write? This is your chance to tell us. Send us a video through the campaign site and contribute to the movement.