Do you want to know why writing is important?
Truth is there are many reasons you should prioritise writing.
For me, becoming a better writing gave me the confidence to express my ideas. My ideas, in turn, helped me to connect with interesting people all across the world.
Improving your writing is a life-long journey, and it’s worth every moment.
Here are some reasons writing is important.
Clarifies your thinking
Writing helps you sort through your thoughts.
Have you ever had a great idea that fell apart once you started writing?
Once you put your thoughts down onto the page, you expose weaknesses in your arguments. Writing things down also refines your ideas. The more you write, the clearer you think.
And, often, it is through the writing process that you discover what you’re actually trying to say. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Writing Center said writing helps to “create the logical relationships that develop the idea into something that someone else may receive and perhaps find interesting.”
Presents your ideas
Your writing ability is more important than the quality of your ideas.
That’s according to Patrick Henry Winston, the MIT professor who gave this legendary talk on public speaking.
“… students shouldn’t go out into life without the ability to communicate, and that’s because your success in life will be determined largely by your ability to speak, your ability to write, and the quality of your ideas, in that order.
In the talk, Winston said public speaking skills allow you to package and present your ideas to the world. The same case can be made for writing.
Makes you feel better
Another reason why writing is important is that it’s good for your soul.
In Fire up Your Writing Brain, Susan Reynolds looks at a few research studies into the benefits of writing. The findings show regular writing has the ability to improve your mood and reduce your stress
In one study, patients who had biopsies healed faster when they wrote about their experience. This is likely because writing releases the feel-good chemical, dopamine, writes Reynolds.
Creates new opportunities
Writer David Perell calls writing a “serendipity vehicle”.
Ali Abdaal, YouTuber and doctor, highlights this quote from Perell about how writing online specifically creates new opportunities in your life.
“Little robots can carry your ideas…all around the world…(people) who are scrolling the internet and they want to learn about whatever it is you have written it or created a video about and when you’re sleeping, when you’re out playing tennis with your friends, when you’re out for a walk on the river, you pay no charge…those robots are like little carrier pigeons that deliver your ideas to people all over the world. As they deliver your ideas to people, serendipity happens.
“You meet new people, they reach out to you, they want to give you money, they want to help you. They have a consulting project they need your help with.”
Now you have an idea of why writing is important. Hopefully, these proven benefits boost your writing motivation.
Featured image credit: Photo by Thomas Franke on Unsplash
