Life gives us so many reasons to write. But we so often cripple ourselves with this excuse:
“I’m not a writer.”
I hear way too often from people who think that amazing facts about writing, English, or grammar are neat but not really for them. It’s sad because it’s limiting. Just because you don’t classify yourself as a writer doesn’t mean you should close your mind to writing’s awesomeness.
Writing isn’t just for those who are out to become famous authors or who mean to do it as a career. It’s a tool anyone can greatly benefit from.
A word after a word after a word is power.” ~ Margaret Atwood
So, here are five non-authorial reasons to put pen (or mechanical pencil) to paper:
1. To Process Life
“Words are a lens to focus one’s mind.” ~ Ayn Rand
Ever feel lost sometimes? Like something happens and you can’t figure out what you think of it? When we’re confused, upset, overwhelmed, or even just exhausted, writing it out can help immensely.
Often if we let our feelings flow through our fingers onto a piece of paper—getting them in some semblance of order—we are better equipped to talk through them with someone else. Problems can arise when we try to talk before they’re untangled in our own minds. We won’t sound coherent even to ourselves—because we aren’t yet.
The process of writing out what’s troubling us is slow, thorough, and methodical. It gives the brain time to think about what it’s thinking about, and the catharsis of putting thoughts to words works much like tears, which brings us to our next point.
2. To Grieve
“I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.” ~ Anne Frank
Writing is an extremely beneficial tool to get through grief. Just as tears physically take stress-induced chemicals out of our bodies, writing takes stress-induced thoughts, feelings, and emotions out of our minds and onto paper. (Plus, when you write what most deeply stirs your heart, tears will often flow; thus, it’s a win-win for removing stress of all sorts.)
We can treat writing as a mini counseling session. The nice thing about paper and a pencil is they won’t judge you, question you, interrupt you, contradict you, feed you platitudes, or hold what you say against you. It is a way to freely communicate your deepest struggles and fears without being afraid of not being accepted or believed.
You can also write out prayers to God. He won’t judge you, question you, interrupt you, contradict you, feed you platitudes, or hold what you say against you. He understands. If you are His child, He knows you better than anyone else does—including yourself. We know we can tell Him anything and He not only listens, but He also answers—in His time.
Writing won’t make grief disappear. It is a dark place we must walk through, not around. But while writing will not cure our grief, it can console us through the worst of it.
3. To Leave a Legacy
“One glance at [a book] and you hear the voice of another person, perhaps someone dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, the author is speaking, clearly and silently, inside your head, directly to you. Writing…[binds] together people, citizens of distant epochs, who never knew one another.” ~ Carl Sagan
We will all die someday. The more stuff we write, the more of us will be left behind. As odd as that might sound at first, it’s worth mulling over.
I treasure the notes, cards, and letters I’ve saved from people who have since passed away. I not only enjoy seeing their handwriting and realizing they spent time to create a communication for me, but I also get to hear them again. Our personalities always show in what we write—our voice speaks even in the silence of a written page. The more words we leave, the more of us future generations can enjoy, whether it’s our grandkids looking through our old journals (yikes!) or random strangers reading an article we published.
Determine to use your writing to share with others—knowledge, feelings, an understanding. If we combine reasons 1–3, writing out our problems or grief provides material for others who are struggling. They will feel less alone knowing someone else has gone through the same thing. We write for ourselves, but we also write for others.
4. To Improve Communication Skills
“The best way to be a writer is to be a writer.” ~ Augusten Burroughs
They say practice makes perfect. Others say perfect practice makes perfect. However you want to argue it, practice improves. Even if you feel you have no talent, as long as you keep at it, you can’t help but get better. The more we write, the better we get—the more smoothly our thoughts will flow, the more eloquent we will become, the more easily our words will pour.
Keep at it, friend!
5. To Practice Being Real
“No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.” ~ Robert Frost
It’s easier to be real on paper. You know what I mean; we all wear masks sometimes. We’re afraid that if people see the real us, they won’t like us or think we’re weird.
I’m not saying unveil all of yourself to everyone you meet, friend or stranger. But I am saying that there are instances when we should be genuine with those we love. Writing is a good way to practice this skill.
It’s easy to be vulnerable when no one’s listening (or it’s just a scratching sound on paper). It’s not easy to share our deepest feelings, fears, hopes, dreams, true thoughts, or actual emotions with a living soul staring at us. But the more we practice sharing our true selves, even if it’s only in writing, the easier it will come in our in-person relationships. It will take less and less effort as we get more and more comfortable.
Being fully real with someone will always be somewhat difficult. But we can make it easier. We can break down our walls. Start small—chip at them with a pencil.
We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.” ~ Anaïs Nin
What about you? Share your reasons to write with us in the comments below!
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