Why write?

In this modern age, when technology is at our fingertips, with talk-to-text or just tapping on the keyboard, why bother with pen and paper?

I write because I love to. I enjoy the feeling of a pen in my hand as I scribble across the page. I don't think I have the best handwriting, so I prefer to use RSVP pens because they accentuate my handwriting in a way that I greatly appreciate. If I’m doing a course, or in an informal learning session, I always prefer a pen and notebook, over my phone or laptop. I find writing therapeutic and always feel a sense of calm after I release all my thoughts and feelings to the page. I’ve been journaling, basically all my life and I have always found it beneficial, to express all my anger, frustration, love, hope or longing in the moment and as a sort of life chronicle, to see how I've grown and changed over the years. 

Researcher M. Cecil Smith, PhD published a paper entitled The Benefits of Writing at the Northern Illinois University where my personal feelings were corroborated. The article went as far as to say that “writing is necessary to help the human mind achieve its full potential”! Isn’t that something?!

Writing was found to be beneficial to:

• Intellectual vitality
• Creativity
• Thinking abilities
• Even improved memory

The article further states that writing may be beneficial to cognitive skills because it requires focusing of attention, planning and forethought, organization of one’s thinking, and reflective thought. Writing sharpens these skills through reinforcement and practice.

A quick google search produced similar results. Writing frequently reduces stress, boosts mood, enhances creativity, helps you to learn about yourself, can increase your vocabulary, strengthens memory, builds confidence, enhances happiness, it can even generate honesty.

Something so simple, that requires so little, can produce such amazing results. Why not give it a try?

Source: https://www.niu.edu/language-literacy/_pdf/the-benefits-of-writing.pdf