OPINION: Writing is one of the most important things you can do in any phase of your life. Reading and writing is something you encounter every day to the point that you might not even think about it anymore. Even now, you’re reading an article that I took the time to write. This is me writing persuasively and journalistically. There are other types of writings that I do as well. I write academically for my English classes. I also write creatively, both for class and for my own personal life. Some of my favorite writing is the writing I do in my poetry journal and for the Maine Campus. Getting involved with the Maine Campus was a decision I made that I have not regretted, and I encourage people to come in and fill the gap that I’m leaving as an opinion contributor after I graduate. However, above all, I encourage people to write. Write creatively, write analytically and write professionally. Write.
Writing is something that we should consistently strive to get better at. When we don’t know how to write, we miscommunicate ideas and thoughts. Being a bad writer creates problems. Learning how to write will also teach you how to structure your thoughts and ideas in a clear-to-follow and concise way. Analytical and professional writing is important because these types of writing populate the professional and academic environment. I think it’s easy to sell people on improving their academic writing because it’s something we all have to do. Pretty much regardless of what you are majoring in, you’ll have to improve your essay writing skills to get through your program of studies. There might be rare exceptions, but generally, it’s crucial to the academic experience. Some programs might stress writing less, but you’re still going to encounter writing and reading academic papers in any field.
Something that’s harder to convince people to practice is creative writing. They might take an introductory level creative writing course to satisfy a Gen Ed requirement, but that’s likely the extent of what students studying things like engineering and business encounter in terms of creative writing. My major gets me closer to creative writing than most. I’ve concentrated in creative writing and taken multiple poetry courses and ultimately my capstone was a poetry manuscript. I found that by studying poetry, I was learning not just about the field of poetics but also myself. Poetry can be a powerful introspective tool in the same way that a journal can. When you force yourself to think and write about yourself, you begin to see behaviors and patterns that you might never have otherwise. Writing creatively in other mediums can also be helpful. Improving your storytelling skills as a writer will likely also improve your skills as a speaker.
The biggest pushback I hear to this idea is that “I don’t have time”. I disagree. I think writing doesn’t have to be time intensive. I try to incorporate poetry as a practice by keeping a journal and writing whenever an idea pops into my head. It doesn’t even have to be a journal, it can be your notes app. I promise you can write, and you should. It’ll improve your cognitive skills by making you better at organizing thoughts and arguments, crafting narratives, and enhancing your general creativity.
