Why is Writing Important? | Guest Post

Dear Writer,

Perhaps you are struggling right now in your writing. The “muse” seems to have abandoned you. The words won’t come… or the ones that do are shallow and silly and pointless. Maybe you pounded out a stray storyline that seemed to lead you somewhere but ended up dumping you. Maybe doubt is hovering over you, whispering hurtful little questions in your ear. Perhaps self-criticism has got you in its cruel grip. 

Maybe—rather, hopefully—you aren’t struggling. But it never hurts to be rejuvenated. So today, I’m going to offer you a little encouragement. Today I’m going to remind you why you’re writing.

Why do I write? The question haunts writers at different times. Sometimes from an excited fan interviewing us at a book release. Sometimes it’s over tea, with a curious friend or family member. Sometimes it’s at three a.m. when you’re sorting through the world’s problems. Sometimes it’s at two o’clock in the afternoon, having a stare-down with a blinking cursor and losing. Why do you write?

Why is writing important? 

1. Writing creates understanding. 

In stories, we are placed in the shoes of another person. We step into someone else’s experiences, their skin, their very soul. We learn how they view the world and how the world views them. We discover a thought-process different from our own. We see things with an angle we never could have seen from otherwise. 

As writers, we have a unique opportunity. We hold the power to transport people, at the proverbial blink of an eye, into a world different than that they dwell in. We build bridges and coax readers across it, creating understanding between different souls.

2. Writing gives experience.

Through books, we try on royal robes. We boldly defend a castle. We wipe the fevered brow of a sick child. We peek at the Battle of Ypres. We walk the streets demanding justice. We tag after George Washington. We whisk away Jews from death. We cower from horrid Sikes with Oliver Twist. 

As writers, we have the gift of offering normal people amazing experiences they will never otherwise live out. We enrich their lives; we give them knowledge they would not otherwise have. 

3. Writing provides compatibility.

By reading, people discover other souls who have experienced the same problems, pains, griefs, and shames. They find other minds who have the same thought-patterns; other people who have the same habits and tics. They learn that they are not “the only one.” 

As writers, we can remind people that they are not ‘all alone and lonely,’ as Pooh Bear says. We have a means of reminding them they are important and valued, seen and understood. We repeat the truth that they, too, have a “someone like me” and aren’t the only one who’s “different.”

4. Writing offers consolation.

All stories hold both tears and smiles, and written stories sometimes encapsulates that truth quicker than life does. In books, we find our own hurts and joys laid out. 

As writers, we can help people discover the reason behind their suffering. We can show them they are not the only ones to have felt a certain pain. We can help them process a hurt. We can remind them of the hope in the storm. 

5. Writing motivates & encourages.

Tales of doing and daring, of striving and serving, will never not inspire us to do the same. We tag along on characters’ journeys and come away fired up to love more fully, fight more bravely, care for more tenderly, speak up more boldly. 

As writers, we can light that spark in someone’s heart. We can give them the push to start over a new leaf, pursue a new dream, push through a new habit. We can encourage them to get started and motivate them to keep going. 

We all have our own reasons for writing. 

Some write to escape… 

…some write to immortalize.

Some write to understand…

…some write to rebuild. 

Some write to say something…

…some write to experience life. 

But we all have a power, a gift, placed within our hands. With this comes great responsibility, but also great blessing. You just might be the one to change someone’s life… rewire their perspective… set them on a new path… 

You never know what your writing will do, dear writer. 

But you know what it can do. 

That’s why you keep writing. 

Because it’s important.

Hello! 🙂 I’m Katja. I’m a Canadian bibliophile, book reviewer, writer, and child of God. I love too many things to name, but among them are chocolate, heirlooms, history, fancy handwriting, grammar & punctuation, laughter, tearjerking books, lists, organized bookshelves, pink roses, flowing skirts, hymns, and pretty much anything old-fashioned, beautiful, & classy.

Your turn!

Why is writing important to you? What encourages you to keep writing? Be sure to check out Katja’s blog as well! (Psst! I have a guest post over there!)

Blessings, Allyson

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