The Reason I Write is Self-Satisfaction

It seems there has been a stir in the town of note lately.
It is about the various discussions regarding the selection process for the interim judging of the "Reason for Writing note Contest."

When I found out about this contest, I thought it was a very interesting topic and I really wanted to write for it. However, I couldn't finalize the content before the deadline passed, so I wasn't able to enter the contest.

A while later, the organizer (or their staff) published an article detailing the various aspects of the selection process. After reading that article, I felt that it was for the best that I hadn't applied.

In the meantime, I started seeing several posts about this matter.

I feel like I can understand the opinions of both the applicants and the judges. So, even though it's a bit late, I've decided to write about my own reason for writing.

Normally, I would link to the article in question, but since I am an outsider who did not enter the contest, I have decided not to include any links.
It feels a bit like watching from a high vantage point, and I feel bad about only saying what I want to say, but I hope you will forgive me.
I know I'm being self-protective and trying to please everyone. After all, I am fond of myself.
So, if you don't want to read any further, please feel free to click the back button on your browser.

Also, as usual, I am writing this on a whim, so I haven't thought about where it's going and I don't know how it will turn out, but I'm going to do my best to write it.
(I suppose this is the kind of bad writing that doesn't benefit the reader lol)

The reason I write on note, in a word, is "because I want to put the thoughts overflowing from within me into words." Whether it's an essay, a novel, or a tanka poem, it's all the same.

I started note because I wanted to record the thoughts that were welling up inside me.

I have always loved writing. I chose note as a medium where I could easily write long pieces, and that is what I do. As I continued to write, the things I wrote about expanded through my interactions with other users. When I post an article, I get reactions, whether it's a few likes or comments. I write because that makes me happy.

Some note users submit their work to public competitions. I find those people dazzling and I cheer them on in my heart, thinking, "Good luck!"
I myself have never entered a public competition. I thought about it in the past, but I can't write strictly according to the rules. That's why my current style of freely writing whatever I want suits me.

Of course, I have the sweet, sweet dream that someone might reach out and turn my work into a book, but that is truly a sweet dream. Before I came here, I thought of myself as someone who could write reasonably well. But there are mountains of people here who write amazing things. When I read their articles, I truly feel that I don't even come close.

Even so, I continue to write almost every day.

As I kept writing, the shame I felt about writing and posting my work disappeared. If it hadn't, I wouldn't be able to keep doing note. If someone who reads what I write finds it even a little bit interesting, that is enough for me.

I've written at length, but this is my reason for writing on note.

I think that entering a contest means you have to catch the eye of the judges. No matter how good a piece of writing you produce, if it isn't chosen from among the many works, it will never see the light of day.

Judges are human, too. So, if it doesn't resonate with them, it probably won't get a second look.

That is true whether it's the contest in question, the Creative Awards, or an external public competition.

I think writing a piece that appeals to the judges there is the shortcut to passing the screening. I vaguely thought that it might be like a job interview. During an interview, you respond in a way that the interviewer will like. Regardless of your true feelings, you adapt your responses to the other party. If you want to get hired, even if it's against your will, you do at least that much.

If you are serious about winning an award, it is better to devise such strategies and write a piece that the judges will like. I felt that this was what the article in question was trying to say.

I have also served as a judge on note.

I judged tanka and haiku for club projects. I also served as a judge for tanka in the "Minna no Haiku Taikai (Everyone's Haiku Tournament) - Shun-hai".
Min-hai is a very large tournament, and I was anxious about whether I was qualified to be a judge for such an event. According to the organizers, they wanted me to make selections from various perspectives. So I decided to accept the role of judge, and it was a truly educational experience.

There were four tanka judges, and the works we chose were all completely different. I think this connects to what I am thinking about in this contest.
Judges are human too, so they choose works that suit their own tastes. Even if I don't choose a piece, it might strike a chord with someone else. Therefore, I thought that whether a work is good or bad depends not only on ability but also largely on luck.

I myself have never won an official award at Min-hai. This was surprisingly damaging, and I felt quite depressed, wondering if I had no talent. However, Min-hai has a saving grace called the "Unofficial Award," a system where people who read the works can give awards to their favorite pieces on their own. Many people gave me awards in that "Unofficial Award" category as well. This made me truly happy, and I felt saved, thinking that it was okay for me to create things too.

My story has wandered a bit, but this is what I want to say.

If you write a piece tailored to the organizers, the chances of being selected might increase. It's fine if you want to write that kind of piece.
However, it is tough for the writer to write something they don't want to write.
Besides, as a reader, I want to read pieces that are filled with the writer's thoughts. I want to read pieces filled with raw emotions—excitement, tension, or deep contemplation.

I myself want to write such pieces that carry my own thoughts.
Even if it doesn't benefit the reader, and even if it steals the reader's precious time.
I want to write a piece that, even if it doesn't strike a chord with everyone, strikes a chord with someone.
However, while I know it is contradictory, I also have a sweet, sweet dream that one day I will be approached and get a book published. I know that such a day probably won't come just by waiting, so I think I will try to make it into a book on Kindle or something eventually.

Articles written on note, regardless of the genre, are a world of self-satisfaction. Long live self-satisfaction. Of course, I am very happy when they are read by many people or when I receive 'likes'.
In the end, if I read it and think it's interesting myself, that's enough.
*However, paid articles are an exception to this. If precious money is involved, I believe I must write articles that are beneficial and offer some kind of merit.