Why we should not negate the importance of writing?

In the prevalent norms of popular culture, a lot has been said and written about the exquisite pleasure that a love of reading brings unto us. Reading has always been defined as an experience enthralling to the senses- almost akin to an orgasm of the brain, and the magic of books and the benefits of reading have been eloquently cited. Even in the digital times of today, reading continues to hold a place of phenomenal importance within the ambits of holistic human development. But what ironically remains a much lesser lauded aspect about perpetuating the love for reading is some equal adulation of the importance of writing. For, without writing there obviously wouldn’t be anything for the world to read from! And yet, writing goes largely unheard, and even when bestselling writers and breakthrough authors are celebrated, not much privilege is granted to a realm from where the whole pursuit of reading generates its magic.

Indeed, reading and writing goes hand in hand. It’s deemed a vital characteristic for every writer to make reading a way of life if they intend to be among the good names. Likewise, it’s essential for folks with a flair for words to put their thoughts down on paper so that they fan the entire process of igniting brighter minds and creating better writers. That all is well and fair till we view writing as a process exemplary enough to keep the world brimming in much of its iridescent magic. But even in its most basic essence, the art of writing enfolds within its encompassment such pivotal benefits related to overall human development and personality growth that we should be absolutely not negating its importance in any aspect whatsoever.

It’s also perhaps necessary to make a distinction between writing for the need and writing for the soul. Granted, not everyone have their way with words in their most piquant allure. Because writing is an art and like all things creative stem from within, it is indeed a matter of the endowings that lead one to become a good writer. But also like all other pursuits, good writing skills can be developed and they can be developed exceedingly well as a habit or even as an academic inclination, sans however the compulsive rigours of formal training. The 1962 Nobel Prize winner in Literature John Steinbeck stated-

In writing, habit seems to be a much stronger force than either willpower or inspiration.

That whilst stands pretty true across the tides of time, it’s essential anyway to develop decent writing skills even if you do not quite fancy holding audiences emblazoned with your sublime art of the vocab and your intriguing way with the rhetoric. That’s because writing in itself is an art, but beyond that it is also a yardstick of your emotional competence not to mention just how effective a harbinger it can be of your personal confidence. Writing is a form of communication as well. And communication being the prerequisite for basic human sustenance in society, you can well imagine just how profound an impact your writing can have on your personality.

Having the ability- and confidence- to pen down your abstract thoughts concretely, speaks about you more than what you envision. It of course lends you an upper hand as far as your professional status is concerned. An added skill is never a disadvantage, specially at this point in time when writing jobs are some of the most in demand in the industry. But beyond even the monetary considerations, writing stands important in that it holds you in good stead in your networking reaches as well. As the go- to person for drafting every important email or in paraphrasing the most relevant information to relay from your company, you establish yourself as an asset who scores at least a tad more over and above their designated position.

Within a more personal space, writing enables you to be more expressive about yourself. In articulating your thoughts and opinions and desires exactly the way you mean it, writing proves substantial in furthering your personal growth. Lives have been lost and smiles almost faded into oblivion on indefinite counts, what with persuasive communication not being the way of life for a lot of fellas. Asserting fluency on your part with writing as the medium of communication can indeed save you a whole lot of hassles, tears and pains in life. In persuading with conviction, writing is a crucial life skill even, one with tremendous power for it to yield if you manage to cultivate it right. Given such remarkable impact these writing skills can have on your life, do you not think that downplaying the importance of this of the essential R’s can really impact you beyond measure?

Just as reading promotes writing, writing also can promote a lot of reading. Reading enhances your skills, most prominently your vocabulary so that you can write better. That increased vocabulary translates into your person which not just impacts your own writing but also enables you further to be more cognizant of other advanced reads while pushing your own writeups to be a step up from what they have been. These two associated events of knowledge are also the perfect complements of each other- there is no greater or lesser benefit that one entails for the other. However, speaking in the interest of writing particularly, your skills can also impact your reading choices and methodology for the better.

Decent writing however asks for not merely pleasing words or such mighty jargon that can impress. Being a medium of expression primarily, writing mostly demands error less composition with proper punctuation and grammar. Because ultimately, what you write should end up making sense and should be capable of immediate comprehension. This indeed is one of the benefits of writing that it helps bolster your grammatical skills as well. A properly worded letter or a formally articulated statement not just helps you in getting your point across, it also shows just how believing of your perceptions you tend to be. This works to get your job done swifter and more accurately than otherwise.

Writing also helps you to remember. This perhaps is one of those benefits of writing that is well recognised but not necessarily well appreciated. Right from our time as a child when we memorised lessons by writing them down or growing up to write down to- do lists to not miss out on anything essential, writing has always been convenient for each one of us privileged enough to take to the letters. Perhaps it’s the concrete form that thoughts take when in writing that helps us visualise and therefore remember them more efficiently. To this effect writing is even a simple but effective exercise in memory boosting.

Like already stated earlier, it might not come across as fairly obvious but writing also bodes well for the cognitive. When you take to writing as a habit, it opens up such dimensions and avenues that prod you on to write more. Whether that be catering to your niche audience or just having to let your own feelings out, the ritual of writing sets you on a more productive spree. You begin to process your emotions better, you learn to indulge your fantasies more and your thought trail embarks on such horizons that never defined your contemplation earlier. You grow and evolve, not because you are now someone whose words can stir many a heart and soul but because you learn how to stir your own intuitions more. From being more perceptive of emotions, whether they are your or someone else’s dominion, writing helps you emerge more matured, more poised and at the same time more explorative in your creative faculties. Negating writing therefore as an exercise in futility is never the right thing to do, even when you are only a novice writer. Even as someone who writes just because their job profile demands it out of them, you are never worse off with this creative dimension manifesting in your person. From jetsetting your personal life to cushioning your profession and career, writing manifests its importance as an art in all spheres of your existence.