Editor’s Note: I was fortunate enough to get to know Jo Sands through mutual acquaintances who wanted me to interview her for their magazine. A self-described “unicorn,” she’s a business owner, public speaker, writer, philanthropist and voice actor (who can be reached right here), among other impressive titles and occupations.

Yet it was her honest and joyful writing style that really prompted me to see if she would write a guest post for Innovative Editing. She graciously accepted, and I’m proud to publish the results below. I hope you enjoy her voice as much as I did and do!

When I was a little girl, our family didn’t have much by way of material things. What we did have was a deep love of God and the freedom to be as imaginative as we wanted. Both worked out in my favor.

I was an inquisitive and intuitive child, always asking questions. Always seeking to understand the world around me.

Yet, along with that curiosity came a soft voice. I’ve always had it: It’s part of who I am.

In my ears, my voice was simply fine. To so many others though, it was just above a whisper. I can’t count the times I was told to speak up – almost to the point where I didn’t want to speak at all.

No doubt, that’s why it took years to find my voice. To feel comfortable with the sound in my ears when I opened my mouth.

Fortunately, by the grace of God, far before I learned the true value of my vocal chords… I found a way to express all the things I wanted to say without fear or trepidation. That was through writing.

I recently took a moment to think about my deep connection to writing. Opening my laptop, I exhaled and allowed the words to flow.

The results were my voice, only in written form.

Here are 10 reasons why I write. Feel free to connect with or reject my personal list. Every writer is unique, but I’m sure you’ll resonate with at least a few of the following.

1. Writing is the laxative that soothes my emotional constipation.

2. It breaks down walls of decayed rage, stress, and agitation.

3. It flushes out decades of fears and uncried tears.

4. Writing cleanses the raw flesh of self-rebirth and swaddles my soul.

5. The words I put down on paper shield me in layers of invincibility, allowing me to become whoever I choose to be.

6. I can go wherever imagination takes flight – morning, noon, or in the darkest of nights.

7. Writing is a fickle, loyal love. Its mood changes constantly, yet remains forever true.

8. Writing is the sword of champions-a defender of the meek.

9. For in words, the courageousness of the weakling speaks.

10. Writing is the aged bridge over troubled waters which guides me to the lushness of green valleys

But it hardly stops there. The list just goes on.

Why else do I love writing? Why else do I connect with it? Why else do I engage in it?

11. Writing takes me where eagles soar over high mountains to wallow in clouds.

12. It is my beacon of light that shines as storm clouds gather on the horizon.

13. Writing is the fountain of youth that withstands the test of time, with words meant to live long after I’m gone.

14. It is the tradition of generations, the evidence of things not seen.

15. Writing is the wand of hope, for within I can spread love with the power of a pen.

16. Writing enhances my life by elevating my mind and allowing it to remain unchained. It is a freedom fought hard for: an inheritance from the enslaved.

17. Writing is a legacy, given by those who silently whisper on the winds and shout with claps of thunder

18. Telling untold stories to itching ears reveals unforgotten secrets.

19. Writing has saved many a mere mortal from the depths of my wrath, quenching the thirst for lethal verbal assaults.

20. Writing is my place of peace; it quiets the world and allows my mind to speak.

My mind. My hand. My voice.

That’s why I love writing: because it is uniquely mine.