Why I am writing again — and so should you.
By: Kevin Koudys
Tags: Improvement, Writing

Below are some of the reasons why I am going to start writing again — and, should I come across as convincing, so should you.

1. Writing as exercise;

Perhaps it’s cliché, but much like how you exercise your muscles to strengthen them, exercising your writing skills will strengthen your ability to write and communicate. And as humans who require communication for survival, effective writing is paramount to human-to-human interaction and understanding.

2. Writing as work;

I know…I know. Writing should be fun and personal. But I would be remiss not to mention how important writing is to almost every job. Even if your current role has little to no writing involved, at some point that is bound to change. For instance, I work within the field of communications. My job is to write…effectively…across all different levels of audiences. From emails and speaking notes to key messages and reports, concise writing is the foremost important skill I bring to my role. The practice of writing will make you an asset to your employer, which never hurts.

3. Writing as a release;

You don’t have to write about something technical or substantive. You can write about anything you want: it’s/they’re your idea(s), your thought(s), and your page. I often find — especially more recently — that I have these thoughts about random things I come across, or that I have a topic I want to debate, or a raging issue of the day worth discussing. By starting to write again, I can provide myself the release to jot down these ideas, research about them, write about them, and then discuss them with my readers.

Writing gives you the ability to put all your thoughts out there, uninterrupted — Eric Turner (Why You Should Write; The Writing Cooperative)

4. Writing as political;

Anyone who knows me knows that I enjoy the allure of politics. But I consider writing to be political in a different way: it demonstrates who you are as a writer. Let me be more explicit: you write based on your personal knowledge, biases, stereotypes, experience, yadda yadda…. Now you’re probably like, “Okay Kevin, but how does this justify why I should write more?” And I would respond with, “Well kind reader, because you build connections with those who both agree and disagree with what you’re saying.” Particularly as we see more of our interpersonal communication moving online, we should continue to strive to develop these connections with those interested enough in our writing. And our writing helps our readers understand who we are and where we come from.

5. Writing as continued learning;

I alluded to this above, but being an effective and educated writer requires you to do at least some research beforehand. Reading articles or news stories will help broaden your understanding of the topic you’re writing about. Maybe it will sway your thinking? In my previous writing life, I recall a time where I started a longer blog by stating that my current argument is completely different than it was before I started researching. And this is good! This is how you improve and progress in your understanding. And this whole process will make you a more effective and wholesome writer. Worship the ‘Ah ha!’ moments, as this is the sign of your continued learning.

Certainly I could go on. There are numerous reasons why you should start writing. But I’ll spare you the boredom should you have gotten to this point. The takeaway: The above five reasons are simple processes: practice, refining, releasing, examining, and learning. Write for you. Write to become better.

This is my first post — a brief article justifying why writing important. Heck, maybe it is even helping me justify why I am doing this in the first place, too.

And I don’t know where this blog will go from here. Don’t expect a specific theme. I know that I want to bring in other articles I read, podcasts I listened to, and experiences I had that day. I hope you join me for the ride.

Bye. Thanks. Talk to you soon.