The Benefits Of Writing (If Only For Yourself)
I wish I could sing or dance. I wish I could play a musical instrument in front of people without getting profoundly self-conscious. Lacking that, though, I am thankful I have a certain facility with the written word. Perhaps it doesn’t make me the life of the party, but it is rewarding in its own way. And just as those who sing and dance encourage others to join in, allow me to tell you how rewarding the act of writing can be and persuade you to engage in it more often.
Like singing and dancing, many people are able to enjoy it without ever feeling comfortable enough to want to share it with the world. That’s okay. Writing can be its own reward. Writing isn’t just about communicating with others, it’s a good way of communicating with yourself. Even if you never share a word of what you scribble down in your diary or journal, you are able to learn more about yourself through putting your thoughts down on paper (or in digitally recorded form).
Writing your thoughts down is a lot like doing mathematical equations on paper. Many math problems that are too difficult to solve in your head are easy to find answers to when you work them out bit by bit. So too can an ethical or practical problem resolve itself when you record your thoughts in a way that enables you to look at them.
Most of us have had the experience of being forced to write a book report. Often, we are frustrated by the feeling that we have nothing to work with and nothing to say. In desperation we begin to use the techniques our teachers told us about. We try brainstorming or freewriting, anything in the hopes of getting something going. At first it is a mess of non-sequiturs, but if we push on we soon begin to see ideas appear that seem to come from nowhere. Connections between seemingly disparate ideas suddenly occur. All of the sudden we actually find ourselves excited about what is beginning to take shape. And, if we are able to persist, before long we have gained a perspective on another person’s story and thoughts we never would have seen otherwise. Not only that, we have achieved a unique perspective on the work of another. Not only do we gain a deeper understanding of what someone else has written, we have added something of our own to the work (As a writer, believe me when I tell you people are always adding important insights to my own ideas).
Like other arts, writing allows us to connect with that inner voice that some have called the muse. I remember the first time I encountered it in a direct fashion. I was writing in a journal for an English class and suddenly realized I was acting as a stenographer to a voice that was speaking more quickly than I could record. I was not thinking the thoughts, the thoughts were simply pouring out of some part of my mind the way water bubbles forth from an underground spring. It was there, always. It was bubbling up, always, I merely had to access it. I did not need to call it forth, did need to prime the pump, I just had to gather it up as best I could.
Write your own thoughts — however crude they may be — and you will begin to discover your own voice. Record your thoughts and you will come face to face with yourself. Put you own thoughts down on paper (or on a Word document) and suddenly you will realize that you are permitted an opinion of your own on every issue that is of interest to you. You may not be the authoritative voice on the matter, but your perspective is worth consideration. It is worthy to be part of the dialogue. You yourself will come to understand when you have sufficient knowledge of a particular issue to speak with authority upon it. It is okay to question those with greater knowledge, and it is okay to withhold your support of their opinion if they are unable or unwilling to give answers to an earnestly asked question. Respect should be given for an honest inquirer just as it should be given to one who has attained greater learning.
Write down your own thoughts and soon you will come to realize how much what you have taken for indisputable fact is only the persuasive thoughts and biases of others. The more you write your own thoughts the more you will find many of them have merit. And then, rather than simply repeating the opinions fed to you by others, you can at least put your personal spin on it. When you share a political idea, you will not only repeat what someone has told you to believe, you will be able to tell others why you agree with another’s opinion. You can even say that the idea is good but not perfect, and then point out where your thoughts are even more finely-tuned than the thoughts of another you once would have entirely accepted uncritically.
Of course, once you start stating your own opinions, people are sure to take issue with them. At first it might feel devastating, but try to look at other people’s opinions with an open but critical eye. Just because they disagree with you does not automatically mean that they are wrong or you are wrong. There are many reasons why disagreements take place: perhaps your writing was not clear, perhaps they did not read what you wrote carefully or with an open mind. Perhaps they thought of something you missed or that they are not capable of considering your point of view. Deal with the thoughts of others as you deal with the thoughts inside your own head: try to see things from all possible perspectives and do not be afraid of ideas that challenge your beliefs.
Most of us never get past the stage where we only sing in the shower, many of us are never able to dance in front of anyone other than our cat. If your writing never gets past this point, it is still worth engaging in. It will get you deeper in touch with yourself, make you feel a little more at home with your own beliefs and feelings. But perhaps more than any other form of art, writing gives you the ability to record your thoughts and expand your understanding of yourself and the outside world. It makes you more comfortable with your own ideas, so long as you are able to listen to that voice inside without trying to control it. More importantly, allowing yourself to listen to that inner voice without attempting to control it will make you realize no one else has the right to control or silence that inner voice, either. Most of what is inside you that will seek to silence or control that inner voice has most likely been put there by those trying to silence your inner voice, anyhow.