Introduction

Writing is a form of communication that has become indispensable to humanity throughout the ages. From Neolithic cave paintings and Egyptian hieroglyphs to present-day novels and store signs, writing has served as a way for humans to convey their ideas and feelings to others or simply a tool for self-expression. But what exactly is writing, and how can you harness it to deliver your own unique message to the world

The Essence of Writing

Writing isn't the rigorous, original process that some people might imagine it to be. Essentially, writing is when people turn their thoughts into words in a specific language. As one of my English teachers, Mr. Matt Philips, told me a while back, people don't think in any particular language. People have dialogues with themselves inside their heads all the time, an action we call thinking, but the words used in these self-conversations are not in any kind of language. Indeed, thinking is beyond all languages, able to exist in every and no language depending on how you view it. Other people can't understand your thoughts because they are unfamiliar with how you think, so you need to manifest your thoughts into a special language shared by others to communicate with them. This is exactly what writing does. When you write, you are simply restating your thoughts and expressing them in coherent sentences that people can understand.

For me, writing not only represents a form of useful communication but also a way for me to express myself. The incredible possibilities of writing were first opened up to me by my seventh-grade English teacher, Mr. Matthew Alessi-Friedlander (Mr. A for short). Through his own passion for writing, Mr. A made me see writing as a tool I could harness for my interests instead of a burden I had to contend with every time I took up a pen. Over the years, writing has become an important way for me to express myself. I started my own diary, and in that diary, I recorded some of my ideas on current events or simply jotted down my emotions, sometimes things that I wouldn't have said out loud. Writing became some sort of comfort to me as I did not fear my writing would be spied upon by people I did not wish.

As I wrote, I began to feel more and more empowered by my writing, and I eventually found that writing also stimulate my thinking on a deeper level. Because I am organizing my thoughts into clear sentences when I write, this process allows me to clarify the scattered ideas in my head and connect them logically to form a coherent web of thoughts. Besides that, writing also requires me to think more deeply about the topic I am writing about and, at the same time, creates a calm space of reflection for me to do exactly that. Thus, when writing, I can better engage my mind to analyze my situation, which is beneficial for figuring out things.

Writing is such an amazing skill, and I think everyone should learn to appreciate it. So, this is why I am writing this blog: to help you understand what writing is and how you can excel at it.

How to improve your writing

Personally, I have found several exercises to be really helpful in promoting my writing skills. First among them, is reading. Everyone, even big writers like J. K. Rowling and Khaled Hosseini, started off without the slightest clue on how to write. One way to solve that problem is to read what other people have written and learn from how they expressed their ideas and manipulated their words. In essence, reading is learning about how ideas can be expressed in different ways, and ultimately, it can help you with how your ideas are expressed. As you read more and more literature works, writing will become easier for you.

From my experience, another way to enhance your writing is simply to write. However, the key here is to write often and to write about what you really care about. Just think about it: how much progress would you make if you wrote once every month compared to if you wrote once every day? Of course, the ideal scenario is to exercise your writing every day, and for me, a really effective way to keep me motivated is by writing a diary. You don't have to make your diary perfect because there is no one to judge your writing. Just spend a quarter of an hour each night to write entries in your diary. Sit down at your computer, take a deep breath to calm yourself down, and just let the writing flow. Write about what happened today, what made you feel happy and what made you feel upset, what you are planning to do tomorrow. Really, anything is ok. At first, it would be pretty awkward to write really personal things down in your diary, but as you do it more and more often, you will start to realize that your diary is just like an old friend. You can tell all sorts of things to your diary, and it won't criticize you. Your diary will always be there if you want to "talk" to it, and that's what I love about it.

Moreover, there is no point in halfheartedly writing about bland and uninteresting topics because your spirit is not really into it. Thus, subconsciously, you won't be that compelled to think and write, and so your brain won't be as engaged as it would be when you are writing about a topic that you are passionate about. But on the other hand, if you really care about something, writing about that thing will become easy and even enjoyable for you because both your brain and your heart are dedicated to it. My last article—"Unmasking the Atrocities of the Japanese Taiji Dolphin Hunts"—was inspired by a documentary that I recently watched called "The Cove." Contrary to the dogged, stretched-out writing process that some people experience, writing about the Taiji dolphin hunts in Japan gave me great pleasure because I really sympathized with the dolphins being hunted there. When I wrote, I felt that I was doing the right thing in voicing this concern, and consequently, I was extremely invigorated to do the research and write about it. Therefore, the next time you feel really connected with something, don't just say, "Wow, this is really interesting," and let it pass. Take hold of that opportunity and take advantage of that energy inside of you to write about it and express yourself.

Conclusion

Writing has been the greatest gift given to mankind in history. The invention of the printing press as a way to assist writing sparked an intellectual evolution involving the collision of ideas and, subsequently, an enlightenment of the medieval world, a transformation that ended the Middle Ages and began what is known as the Renaissance. All of that was achieved with the spreading of written works that communicated ideas and carried knowledge. In truth, there is power in writing, a power that has the potential to transform your life. Thus, it is really important for us to learn how to use writing as a way to provide connection and understanding and create change for the good.