I’ve written a lot over the course of my life. Long before I ever even thought of starting this blog, I’ve written down my ideas on nearly every subject I know something about for years. I’ve shared some of them with other people and kept others to myself. Whenever my head becomes filled with ideas, I sit down in front of the computer and type away until I have nothing more to type. Sometimes I write out a page’s worth of ideas in one shot and other times I’ll write a bit here and there until I’ve said what I want to say. Regardless of my writing process on any given day, I have always loved to write.
Writing helps me organize my thoughts. This has been extremely helpful for explaining my thinking to others in a way that makes sense; instead of trying to sort out my ideas on the spot, I can draw from something I wrote about them and use it as a framework to keep myself on track. This has also improved my speaking ability by reducing the amount of stammering and pausing in my conversations. Even if I don’t share a particular piece of writing with anyone else, I still get the benefits of writing out my thoughts. Sometimes I need to see my thoughts on a screen outside my head in order to flesh them out and connect them with other thoughts on related subjects.
I’ve found that sharing my ideas through my writing has a different effect than sharing them through spoken conversations. I still enjoy conversations but my writing is a horse of a different color. Going back to the point about organizing my thoughts, I can organize my words through writing much more effectively than through speaking. I can take the time to think through what I want to say, find the right words to bring my ideas to life, and then arrange them in a way that accomplishes that goal. Unlike conversations, there are no pauses in which I try to find my next sentence, no stammering or talking in circles, and hardly any (though there still are some) instances in which I find myself unable to properly express an idea. Thus, any point I’m trying to make comes across more clearly and has a better chance of being well received through writing than through speaking.
Since I started this blog, many of my conversations have involved subjects in one or more of these posts. In most cases, someone else brings it up and we spend a few minutes sharing our thoughts with each other. As I’m still introverted in many ways, I can find my voice and the courage to use it more easily through writing than through speaking. I can easily write about ideas that I would feel uncomfortable bringing up in conversation or that I don’t get to fully express in person. Sometimes I cannot articulate my thoughts in a satisfactory way and other times I get talked over and am unable to continue. I’ve also learned that most conversations are going to end up leaving some ideas on the table, so writing allows me to go back and fully explore them out in a way that I can’t in conversation.
I don’t know if I’ll ever be a professional writer, but I think that would be cool even if I just end up publishing a couple of books or making money through online writing. Either way, I’ve always loved writing and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. As long as I continue coming up with new ideas, I’ll keep writing them out and sharing them with anyone who might like to hear them.