5 Things Writing has Taught Me

By georgelthomas on 22 Sep 2020 • ( 1 )

Hi everyone, I hope you’re all well and excelling in whatever it is you’re doing.
Today I thought that I’d share with you a few things that writing has taught me over the years. So without further ado, here are:

5 Things Writing has Taught me

1 – Writing is an Art
I’ve always loved to write. As many of you may already know from reading my previous posts, my love for writing began with my granddad teaching me to read and write when I was small. It became my favourite hobby and I’d write whenever I could. It wasn’t until many years later, however, that I discovered the ‘art’ in writing.
Over time, I began to see writing as more than just a fun way to tell a story; the more I learned about grammar and pacing and word choice, the more I realised that you can paint pictures with words. You can create a whole world in your mind, transcribe that image onto a page with words and have someone else read it and recreate the image in their own minds. Now, that image may well be interpreted differently from the vision in your mind, but that’s because art is subjective. You supply the ingredients and the reader mixes them all together in their mind and conjures their own version of your creation with their imagination.

2 – Anyone Can Write
Anyone with the inclination to do so can write. Writing is one of those things where you improve the more you do it. If you have ever felt the urge to write, but felt as if you weren’t smart enough or that what you’d write wouldn’t be good enough, (both of which I still often feel) just pick up a pen and do it anyway. If you want to write, then you should write.

3 – You Can Write to Please Yourself
I used to sit and ponder about what I should be writing. I used to think that I should be catering to some specific and yet unknown reader. But the truth is, if something interests you, then it will, no doubt, interest someone else. So write the stories you want to write. Writing should be enjoyed.

4 – Writing Can be Therapeutic
Writing, at least in my opinion, is one of the most cathartic things a person can do. Whenever I’ve been going through tough times and I’ve picked up my notebook and pen, I’ve found that filling a page full of words really helps. It doesn’t even need to be about a particular problem or issue weighing on you, it can just as easily be a poem or a new scene in a current work in progress. Writing really is a great distraction and I truly think I’d be lost without it.

5 – Writing is Hard
Although anyone can write – and should write if they feel that it’s for them – you should be prepared to work. I was not prepared for how much work goes into writing a short story or a poem – not to mention all the reading and learning I need to do to create content for this website. It’s all worth it though; there’s nothing quite like the feeling of completing a piece of work, and some of the feedback I’ve received has made even the longest most dreary writing day more than worth it.

As always, thank you so much for reading what I’ve written. It really does mean a lot to me.

Until next time,

George