“The Blog is for the Writer, Not the Writer for the Blog”: 3 Reasons Why Writing Isn’t Just For…

Writing has just recently been something I pursue on a regular basis, I joined a school paper at the university I attend where I have been…

Writing has just recently been something I pursue on a regular basis, I joined a school paper at the university I attend where I have been writing opinion articles. Along with that I write a weekly blog post about what I am thinking about that week, usually focusing on the subject of doing something efficiently. Many might think that you would start a blog to be a professional writer at some point but for me that isn’t the case. I blog to find my voice, to increase my sanity, and to help my develop better communication skills.

My Voice

Even though I write for a paper I don’t ever plan on being a journalist. I’m actually a major in information security management, a tech degree. So why do I want writing experience?

Because besides me naturally gravitating toward the medium of writing I write to learn how to convey my personality through a widely used medium of sharing ideas. Think of it, every day people consume information on their smart phones, mostly in the form of text such as blog posts, eBooks, and info graphics. Before that it was through literature that ideas where explored and given a stage. The dark ages didn’t truly end until Gutenberg created his printing press. Literature actually can be seen as the reason we are so advanced as a race. The ability to replicate and distribute ideas and facts is a powerful thing. Marx influenced multiple countries to war through his Communist Manifesto, and Hitlers Mein Kompf resulted in the deaths of millions. Mass distribution of religious text led to principles that found the US constitution, another form a political literature modeled by many countries. So with all this being said, why would every person have a personal blog that conveys their ideas through the written medium? Even if you are not a good writer sharing your positive ideas through the internet with just a well worded sentence can turn someones day around. Writing isn’t just for people who like to write, it gives you a voice in the digital world.

Increase my Sanity

I heard about writing on the internet in a college communications class. There I was told is a good place to voice your opinions and leave an electric “paper trail” for future employers to look at. The concept of putting out some form a content on a regular basis about a certain topic of my choosing fascinated me. At the time I was being pulled emotionally in a million directions for personal reasons. So I felt like I needed an outlet to organize my thoughts about two things that where stressing me out the most at that time: one, getting the most done in the least amount of time, and two, how to effectively navigate the emotional crisis I currently had. So I committed myself to create one blog post a week about productivity and emotional intelligence. The deadline forced me to dedicate a certain amount of time a week critically thinking about issues effecting my productive output and perform an emotional audit of how I can handle situations better. Dozens of blog posts later, I have a non-negotiable routine of writing! This has helped me organize a personal philosophy and identity that is the bedrock of my character, I think more clearly, I handle situations more effectively and I can accomplish more in less time because I became a productivity practitioner sharing what I have learned over the internet rather than a person who complains that their isn’t enough time in the day. So having your own blog helps you develop critical thinking skills, and critical thinking is what makes the difference between a person prone to stress and someone who isn’t.

Better my Communication Skills

If you can say it in a sentence, why use a paragraph? Because of the short attention spans of people today its important to be able to get convey an understanding of what you objective is when communicating with people. Being able to maintain a persons interest for a short period of time is what I think influencing is rooted in. You cannot help people help you unless you can effectively get your point across. I find it extremely difficult to divvy my attention to someone if they dilly dally with details when telling me a story or when passing on info. They pour out a redundant sentence after another. Their story is like a obese person: the real story or the body of it is under so much fluff. You can benefit from taking writing classes and having a consistent writing practice to hep your storytelling and communication skills. The metrics involved with blogging also give me feedback if my post actually impress people. When I see bad numbers or no engagement on an article I know that I should have chopped off more fat before publishing my work online.

I wouldn’t say I am a perfect writer, but this habit has made me a calmer person. It is because much of the clutter I have in my head is cleared through a good writing session. Having a writing practice, even if you don’t plan on writing ever can create a huge impact on your personal development.

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