Most people despise writing in school. They don’t understand the purpose of it. They think it is pointless. It should just be for Language Arts college majors, right?
Why on earth is writing a core basic throughout elementary school, high school, and college?
Maybe it is actually a foundational skill that everyone needs for social, intellectual, and occupational success.
The Benefits
Writing forces you to formulate you thoughts in a clear and convincing manner. When writing, you are forced to research your topic, determine your opinion, and formulate your response in a well-thought-out, concise format.
You are forced to look at the data, search through the evidence and make an informed decision about your stance on an issue.
You are forced to organize your thoughts and communicate them through a clear, civil argument.
There is no substitute for writing. You must do it. You must get good at it.
For some this may be disheartening or discouraging. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. Writing may not be yours.
But just because something isn’t naturally easy for you doesn’t mean you can’t learn how to do it and do it well.
While there are many benefits to writing, those that specifically impact your social and occupational wellness are briefly discussed below.
Social Success
The number of people today who have strong opinions on a subject with no basis, no credible knowledge of the topic, and no way to convincingly (and civilly) communicate their thoughts is outstanding.
You don’t have to be an expert on everything, but the ability to effectively communicate your opinions and thoughts is essential to intellectual success.
Occupational Success
Your writing skills are one of the first things your employer, executives, coworkers, and competition will notice.
This goes for everyone in every occupation. You will be writing something at some point. You need to know how to do it efficiently and well.
Whether it be a crucial report or a simple email, strong writing skills will immediately be recognized and noted.
The How-To
At this point, you are probably wondering how you can grow as a writer.
To become a better writer, you just have to write. Write about anything and everything.
Imagine you are in a college class. You have one week to write a ___ page essay on the topic of ___________.
Pick a subject that you interests you, confuses you, anything. Then do your extensive research on it.
Gather the information that will be used to form your opinion and refute the counter arguments. Gain a firm grasp on your topic of choice.
After this step, form your outline. If you don’t like formal outlines, that is okay. Just ensure you have a clear direction for your discussion/argument.
Then, begin writing. Write, write, and write. Write and then revise. Revise, edit, revise.
Set aside some time everyday to work on this.
Once you have completed your assignment, let it sit there, untouched and unread, for several days. Forget about it. Don’t think about it.
This will make it easier for you to catch mistakes or poorly phrased statements.
After a week has passed, go back and read it carefully. If you can print it out, do so, and grab a red pen.
If you have someone (ideally someone who is a naturally strong writer) to read it and note the imperfections.
Take a few days and then repeat. Practice makes perfect.
