Writing is something that very few people enjoy, but more people should do. Writing opens doors and helps you see the world differently. For me, there is nothing more relaxing than sitting down at my computer, pulling up a new blank word document and starting something new (or editing something that I have been working on for a while). Here's why I write, and why you should too.
Writing is relaxing. After a long day of classes and studying, I spend the last hour or so of my night doing some creative writing. Having a creative writing class helps you bounce ideas off of other students. Honestly, it's one of the most therapeutic things you can do. You are able to dig into your imagination or analyze an experience that you had. Writing makes you think in a relaxing way.
Writing allows you to create a new world and characters. Only you can create a unique world and unique characters. No one writes the same, and no one has the same ideas you do. As the author you grow attached to your characters, and you know them better than your readers will. Your characters get to go on a journey that only you can imagine, and you get to go on that journey with them.
Writing helps you explore the world. When writing creative nonfiction I get to re-live an experience, but I get to experience it again as someone who is older and wiser. You get to understand yourself, your experiences, your friends, family and the world when you sit down to write. Even fiction is based on events that happened to you. By writing about what you or someone you know experienced, you grow as a person. You understand the world around you better. You come to understand your thoughts and your actions. When writing fiction, you get to think about what you would do in that situation.
Writing helps with reading and communication. Reading and writing are two things that cannot be separated. The more you read, the better you write; the more you write, the better you read. Through writing, you get to process words, build vocabulary and formulate arguments and sentences. The more you write, the better your communication will be. You will be able to find the words you want when talking to someone.
Everyone has a story to tell, everyone can write and everyone can be an author. Writing creatively helps with the academic writing; it's a universal skill. If you have a unique story sitting inside you, go and write. Go experience a new world or character that only you can create.
