Why Write?

Once again I’ve been on a hiatus for a while, kept busy by work.

In any case, for this return to WordPress I figured it could be fitting to reflect a little upon why writing can be so rewarding. Of course there are many reasons, and it depends on from which angle we look at it, but I’ll try to keep a general perspective here and provide but a brief overview of what I think are some of the greatest reasons for writing.

Whether we talk of a blog or a private journal, or even writing articles or books, the possibly greatest gift of all that writing gives us, is increased clarity. If you yourself write I am sure you agree. This is not to say that clarity comes as a lightning bolt as soon as one puts the pen to the paper (or the fingertips to the keyboard). Rather it is a process. It is like a spinning wheel, and for each paragraph written – for each revolution – just a little bit dust settles, and clarity shines through a tiny bit more. Who we are, what we are, and what the world is, and where we are going in it, or even where we want to go – these are but a few of the questions that writing can shine a light on – over time.

I have long believed that journaling, even if it is just a matter of a few sentences every day, is one of the habits that can have the greatest impact on everything in our lives. It sends ripples affecting everything else. I don’t mean that merely in the regard that it improves our lives, but also in the sense that we become more aware of it: Our lives become sharper to us.

Furthermore – but also along the lines of improved clarity – when we write we usually write in full sentences, whereas if we listen to our own thoughts they are often half-baked and scattered. Writing I think can help in making more of our thoughts into full sentences too, which leads us to be both calmer and better positioned to deal with whatever issues we may face.

Then there is also the fact that many, if not most, careers benefit from one practicing the use of language. Language is indeed a super power, and covers so much more than just words. It is emotion, understanding and connection. It is a living history, and dreams of the future, that we are carrying with us constantly. And this – practicing the use of language – writing obviously helps greatly in, often far more so than mere speaking, which I feel can be abrupt and hurried if one does not practice writing to back it up.

This brings us to the awesome phenomena of stories. If I said that stories are hugely important, that would almost be an understatement. Stories are everything to us humans, more important even than our own survival, because stories are vessels of purpose, which in turn is the only reason we get up in the morning [and sometimes the reason we are willing to put our lives at stake]. Stories are the only reason we go on. And thus, artists, musicians and writers, their contribution is not merely one of ”entertainment”. They provide life. Sure, this means that artists, musicians and writers etc. practice an honorable craft, but it also means that they have a great responsibility. Twisted stories can – by the wielding of this super power Language – put the world ablaze. Despite that dangerous aspect though, stories are priceless, and they wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for people honing their language skills – not least by writing.

Lastly, and as I am sure every person who writes can agree on, writing can be relaxing, or meditative even. It lets one loose oneself for a moment, and return as after a swim, refreshed.

With all this in mind, if you are a writer of any kind, that’s brilliant! And if not, you only have things to gain from getting started. If you are hesitant or insecure about how or what you’d write, I suggest you get started by using a personal journal. The only rule is that there are no rules. If the price for getting started writing, is loads of grammatical errors and broken sentences, and even writing about only mundane things, then it is still a hundred times better than not getting started at all.

Dishonorable mention: Sadly there is also a lot of writing that is the opposite of what we have now considered, for instance stressful emails and the like. To me, that is another thing entirely. But even so, there is always the chance that regularly practicing writing for the joy of it actually might make the stressful and involuntary kind of writing less stressful and more manageable.

What are you thoughts? Did I miss something important? Why do you write?