Two years, twenty-five columns, and countless memories—my history of writing with Positively Naperville has been a journey of community, connection, and sharing stories that matter. This month marks the end of my second year as a columnist, and as I enter my senior year of high school, I find myself reflecting on how much I’ve grown—not only as a writer but also as a person.
To commemorate this milestone, I’d like to share exactly how I choose what to write about each month. Whether inspiration comes from casual conversations, meaningful moments in my life, or interesting local happenings, I often end up with more ideas than I know what to do with.
So I always ask myself one important question before I sit down to draft:
Why does this matter?
Finding an answer to that question isn’t always easy. A person’s harshest critic is usually themselves, and I’m no exception. Every time I think I know what I want to talk about, I come up with reasons why that topic isn’t good enough. I want each of my articles to have a purpose beyond just words on a page.
One of my favorite things about writing is the idea that someone, somewhere, will read my work and have their day brightened, even just a little. Knowing that someone might pause, think, or smile because of something I wrote is one of the greatest joys of writing.
But at the end of the day, I try my hardest to stay true to myself as a writer. The heart of any of my stories is—and always will be—passion.
Thank you, Naperville, for reading my stories, and thank you, Positively Naperville, for sharing them. Here’s to another year of writing!
