When you’re writing, you aren’t always thinking about what you’re writing. While you’re in the moment, it can be difficult to pinpoint how your writing relates to you as a person. But once you’ve finished, it’s easy to see how your writing can shed light on who you are.
Here, we’ll discuss what you can learn about yourself while writing. This knowledge can help you grow as a person, writer, and journalist.
You’ve Learned To Look Past Your Limitations
When you first began writing, what did you see? Probably, a storyteller with a talent for describing actions and events clearly and entertainingly. That’s great; you’ve learned to look beyond your limitations. You can limit yourself based on your gender, race, or even what society tells you is ‘appropriate’ for you to write about. You don’t have to, and that’s the beauty of being a writer. You can explore a multitude of subjects and offer an expansive view of humanity. That’s what makes your writing unique. It’s not only that you know how to write, but that you know how to write about anything.
In the same way you would never say no to a compliment, you need to say no to judging your work based on your own personal opinions about what you think society wants to read. Your writing is excellent, and I’d love to read more like this, but I’m afraid it won’t be what you want to hear. You’ve learned to push aside your insecurities and look at your work objectively. If you keep doing this, you’ll eventually produce something wonderful.
You’ve Learned To Value Your Opinion
Your opinion is important to you, and you should never be afraid to share it. Even if what you say doesn’t match what someone else says, at least you’ll have your own point of view. If you value your opinion, you’ll automatically value the opinions of those you care about – whether they’re friends, family, or professional associates. You’ve learned to value your own opinion and avoid being swayed by false narratives or empty praise.
An editor once told me that my opinions were ‘good’, but that my work needed ‘fixing’ before it could be published. At the time, I couldn’t fathom why she would say that, as I considered myself a competent writer. But after meeting with her and getting a sense of her opinion of my work, I understood her comment. While my work is competent, it doesn’t have enough ‘opinion’ and is too ‘factual’ to be described as ‘good’.
Now it’s my duty to improve her opinion by providing more worthwhile feedback. I’ve also learned to say no to those who ask me for my opinion, as it’s important to me to maintain a good relationship with my editors. Even if I didn’t agree with what she said, I wouldn’t want to hurt her feelings by arguing with her. It’s not always easy to say no, but I’m happy I did because she wasn’t the best person for me to be contradicting. In the long run, I hope we can be friends.
You’ve Learned To Challenge Yourself
There’s no question that writing is a challenging and mentally taxing process. It can be difficult to find the time to write, as you have to block out periods of your day to do so. But that’s what makes it so worthwhile. The only way you’ll improve as a writer is by challenging yourself. Simply put, write something new every day, and you’ll soon find yourself taking pleasure in your work again.
It’s not unusual for writers to experience writer’s block. In fact, a 2013 survey from the American Institute of Stress found that 55% of the writers surveyed reported having trouble with writer’s block. What is unusual is how they dealt with it. Only 28% of the writers said that they used a ‘buddy system’ with a fellow writer, while 12% turned to online communities to help them get past it. But it’s important to note that these figures only represent the respondents who said they experienced writer’s block. It’s possible that those who are more experienced with writing may have been more likely to respond to the survey.
The point is that you’ve learned to challenge yourself. The only way you’ll improve as a writer is by consistently putting yourself out there and pushing your limits. If you do that, you’ll soon find yourself taking delight in your work again.
You’ve Learned To Look At The Negatives In Abundance
When you’re writing, it’s easy to become consumed by the positive. You’re creating something new, and that’s an inherently exciting thing. But it’s important to look at the negatives in abundance as well. It’s easy to see what you’ve got and how it works, but it’s much more difficult to see what you’ve missed out on. While it would be a pain to have to rewrite everything, at least you’ll have a better understanding of what didn’t work and why it didn’t work.
An editor once told me that my work needed a ‘tweak’ and that he’d fix it up. But instead, he made a few suggestions, which I implemented. I’ve learned to appreciate his feedback, as it helped me understand what I was doing wrong and how I could’ve done it better. But I wouldn’t want him to completely revamp my work, as it would make it difficult for me to see my own process and where I could improve.
You’ve Learned To Value Quality Over Quantity
It’s easy to fall into the trap of wanting to write as much as you can to make it work. But that’s all it is – work. Even though you may feel like you’re ‘producing’, you’re not actually producing anything of value. And that, in itself, is valuable. You’ve learned to value quality over quantity. It’s easy to see how much time has passed and how many words you’ve typed, but it’s difficult to see how much value you’ve created. And that, in itself, is valuable. You’ve learned to measure your progress in terms of what you produce, not how much you produce. And that, in itself, is valuable.
Inevitably, you’ll make mistakes along the way. That’s unavoidable, as you’re a human being and an author is but a crafty human being. But you can’t let that get you down. Instead, you need to acknowledge the mistake, learn from it, and move on. Because at the end of the day, that’s all it is – work. You’ve created something, and whether or not it was good enough is irrelevant. It’s still you who made it happen. That’s the most important thing.
As a writer, you’ve learned a lot about yourself. It may not seem like it, but every story you write will be a story about you as a person. Not only will your knowledge and understanding of yourself as a writer increase with each story you complete, but so too will your knowledge and understanding of yourself as a person. And that, in itself, is invaluable.