Creativity
Five Reasons You Should Write a Book, Now
You don't have to be a writer to benefit from writing
Posted June 15, 2015
We can gain a deeper understanding of ourselves if we write a book.
![Rod Judkins Rod Judkins](https://cdn.psychologytoday.com/sites/default/files/styles/article-inline-half/public/field_blog_entry_images/keyboard.jpg?itok=KT9vBJur)
1. Research has proved that writing is good for you because it enables you to bring your hidden thoughts out into the open. Studies shown that this improves your mood and diminishes anxiety. You don’t have to be a writer to write. A writer simply puts their thoughts on a page and that means we can all be writers. Write a little every day. At first there is no need to set out to write a book – that can be a daunting goal. Just write down rough ideas – rather like an artist might produce sketches. Simply do it for fun and enjoyment. Who knows, your writing might lead to a book – but don’t set that as your goals at first.
2. Writing helps to clarify your thoughts. So simply write about what you think and feel. The research on the benefits of writing singles out expressive writing as being extremely useful. An experiment with recently unemployed professionals demonstrated this. They were divided into groups. One group was given the task of writing about their thoughts and feelings concerning their job loss and was re-employed more quickly than the group that did not write at all. Expressive writing seemed to help them to clarify their thoughts and situation and think about future employment. So it’s important to write about that most interests, worries or concerns you.
3. What do you care about? What do you want to express? What message do you want to get across? What do you want to draw people’s attention to? Your book, whether fiction or non-fiction should communicate something you are passionate about. I wrote The Art of Creative Thinking because as an artist and tutor at Central Saint Martins College of Art I am surrounded by creative thinking and can see the benefits of it. I wanted to demonstrate how everyone, no matter what they do, could improve their lives with a more creative approach. What attitudes would you like to change?
4. Writing improves your communication skills. You’ll find it easier to describe your feelings, share experiences and communicate with others. If you write, you have to consider your audience. Sometimes when people speak, their words are jumbled and confused. If you write regularly you become experienced at explaining your thoughts to the reader.
5. You’ll meet people you wouldn’t normally have met and they will widen your connections with your subject. When your book is published you’ll need to promote it. You’ll have to explain why people will benefit from it. You’ll have to give talks on your book. You’ll find yourself meeting people from all around the world who are interested in the same subject as you.
What will you write today? You might note a small moment of insight in a booklet or pour your deepest inner thought out onto a page. There are many benefits to writing. You might not think of yourself as a writer. I have had two books published and I definitely didn’t consider myself a writer until three years ago when my first book was published.
I hope you’ll take the plunge and let me know how it goes; I’d love to hear from you.