Now, a lot of ink has been spilt over how you should make certain that you actually develop a writing habit and that you don’t just end up one of those people who calls themselves a writer and imagines themselves to be, but never actually puts anything on paper. So that is not the part I’m going to focus on today.
Instead, I’m going to talk about why you should write – particularly when you’re a student. After all, what’s the point of knowing how to
change your habits if you can’t for the life of you see the point of doing it? rnSo, let’s get straight to it, shall we?
University requires you to write
It’s true. Being a decent writer will be immensely helpful through the years at university, as it will mean you’ll be able to explain your ideas more clearly and succinctly and, besides, be able to produce essays and such at a much faster rate. After a few years of practice you’ll be able to write somewhere in the range of 750 words per hour. Now imagine how quickly you can get your university essays done when you’ve got that kind of speed? rnWhat’s more, it doesn’t matter what kind of writing you do, it will all help you improve your speed. After all, all types of writing require some kind of thought. So go ahead, spend your days writing steamy romance novels, it will still help you write faster (and hopefully clearer as well).
It helps you see holes in your reasoning
If you’re a writer and are used to
thinking through writing, it means you’ll start the writing process earlier. And that will help you see the problems in your reasoning much more quickly. Naturally, that’s a position you’d like to be in as if you don’t see the problems, you can be certain that your professor will.
You can start building an online presence
Yes, the internet is full of pictures, videos and a whole lot of other stuff, but the vast majority is still the written word. And if you’ve got skills there, that means that you can start
building your personal brand. That is vital in today’s marketplace – particularly when you’re just finishing university and you don’t have that much to put on your CV.rnSo if you want to be successful after you graduate, it’s important that you find your motivation to write today.
Companies need people that can write well
It’s an undeniable fact. Companies are not happy with the quality of new graduates communication skills. And if that’s what they’re not happy about, that is what you should be working on. Writing regularly will do exactly that. rnWriting will teach you how to formulate a communication, think critically about what you’re saying and formulate a response when people talk back to you. Those are exactly the skills that many companies are currently looking for.
You are at your most creative
Did you know that most world-famous poets composed their best work before they’re 25 years old? Creativity requires a certain amount of flexibility (and perhaps a belief in yourself) that we lose as we get older.rnOne way to slow down how quickly you lose that creativity? Yup, you guessed it. Pick up a pen and keep the creative juices flowing and you’ll be able to stop your creativity from going over the hill even if the same can’t be said for your body..
Writers get to go places
Writing used to be a poor man’s gig. Not anymore. Content marketing has made it so that there’s now plenty of money to be made in writing. What’s more, as you really only need a laptop and an internet connection, you don’t even have to stay in one place anymore to do it. rnInstead, you are free to travel the world, write about your adventures and get paid for doing it. Now if that isn’t a dream job, I don’t know what is! But you can’t just do that without any skills. You’ve got to practice and the best time to do that is today.
Writers are more emotionally stable
Writing helps you fight rumination, depression and a whole lot of other negative attributes that you’d rather not have to deal with. It is, in fact, immensely good for you in so many ways. It allows you to experience one of the absolute most enjoyable states of mind known as ‘flow’ which is where you lose track of time and the world around you and become entirely immersed in what you’re doing.rnNow this is not a guarantee, but it does happen on occasion. The more you practice, the more likely it is to happen.
Writing takes practice
That last element is key. You’ve got to practice writing. It isn’t something that you can just naturally do, like breathe, or perspire. Instead it’s something that you’ve got to practice at every day, like the piano or like painting.rnTherefore, if you ever want to be able to live off your writing, or at least communicate well in the written word it is essential that you take the time to practice. Later on in life that’s going to be much harder, as you’ve got a job, a family and serious obligations. Right now, however, you can make the time if you so choose. So write. It doesn’t matter about what. Keep a journal, write about politics, or compose poetry. Just make sure that you put pen to paper.
It’s worth it. For yourself. For your friends. For posterity.