(This column is posted at www.StevenSavage.com and Steve’s Tumblr. Find out more at my newsletter.)
Writing can certainly be stressful – we deal with formatting, editing, book covers, more editing, marketing, publishing, and editing and re-publishing. If you’ve ever put out anything written, you know how nail-biting it can be.
Yet also, we keep doing it. We like it, we enjoy it, we feel fulfilled by it. For many of us it’s automatic.
I began thinking over the benefits of writing, and realized that there’s one we rarely think about – the sense of control.
With a busy before-and-after holiday season for many people I knew, I began noticing friends who were writers being remarkably productive. It was as if the stress was somehow fueling their drive to write . . .
. . . and then I realized that my writing also gave me a sense of control. When things get crazy in life, the one thing I can rely on is I can craft and publish articles and books and more. After a talk with one of the many writers I know, they confirmed the same experience.
Writing gives us a sense of control – and that makes it valuable beyond its many other virtues.
With writing you can be get something done. When you feel down a blog post or a few pages of a book is reminder that, yes, you can do things.
Writing allows you to reach people. Sure one person may buy your book, five people read your Tumblr post, but you reached someone. It’s a reminder you can connect.
Writing allows you to exercise a skill and improve. Each piece of writing is a learning experience, and thus you get a little bit better. It’s a reminder you can grow.
Writing allows you to create something new. Writing keeps your creativity going, remind you there’s options in life, maybe ones you’ve never thought of.
So next time you feel bad or down, go ahead and keep up on your writing. Get things done. Publish. Produce. Dive into that power writing gives you – you’ll feel better and might just be better.
Steven Savage