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The Benefits of Writing in Daily Life

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Although it may appear at first that the people who have the most to benefit from writing are writers, managers, businessmen, journalists, or keynote speakers, that cannot be further from the truth.

Each and every one of us can take away something from developing and honing our writing skills, even if it’s just a simple practice of keeping a journal.

As human beings are social animals, we need to communicate with each other on a daily basis.

Although the majority of that interaction is carried out verbally or non-verbally , a great deal of communication requires us to write. The most obvious example of this is posts or messages on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr. This also includes text messages we send each using our smartphones, or through platforms like Skype, Viber, and WhatsApp.

Of course, emails still have their place and some even still hold on to the lost art of writing letters . These are all instances where we are required to write, but what about benefits of writing just for the sake of writing? How can we make use of that?

The following list contains eight reasons why good writing skills can improve your life, and make you a well-rounded, happier individual.

1. Writing Helps Your Clear Your Mind

We've all sometimes felt the need to vent and speak our minds in order to get our point across.

Well, writing can help you do that.

Try and write down all of your thoughts, grievances, doubts, fantasies, and pretty much everything else that crosses your mind. Just write, without thinking about what lands on paper or your computer screen. It may seem like the end result is something pretty chaotic, but that’s not the point.

The point is for you to clear your mind, so that you can go about your day, working, solving problems, and just enjoying life. Without all those thoughts in the back of your head distracting you, you will find it easier to work and focus, no matter what your profession is.

2. Writing Will Help You Recover Memories

You will be surprised at how writing is able to bring back old and almost forgotten memories.

Start writing down those which you do remember. Before you know it, a certain word or a phrase you’ve put down on paper will trigger some other memory you would never have thought of otherwise. Some of those memories won’t be pleasant, but you will be able to look at them from a distance and put them perspective, and ponder how much you have learned from those experiences.

On the other hand, happy memories will put a smile on your face, and you will remember events and people you care about, driving you to get in touch with them again.

3. You Will Be Able to Stockpile Ideas

It is a good rule of thumb to always write down ideas that pop up out of nowhere because you will be less likely to forget about them that way.

You can try and keep them inside your head but, seeing as we live in a digital age, we process an insane amount of information. We are bound to forget most of them, and that includes some great and precious ideas.

However, when you write them down, you will not only save them from being forgotten, but it will be easier for you to develop them and connect them with one another. You can even come up with new ones through brainstorming.

4. Put Your Life Events into Perspective

One of the most basic examples of this is keeping a journal, but it’s not the only way of putting things into perspective.

Writing fiction will also help you analyze things and look at them from a different point of view. You will be able to draw parallels between those fictional events and situations, and those which took place for real in your life. This will help you look at them in a more objective light.

Another effective way of doing this is to start a blog. This will make you think long and hard before you write anything down since your work will read by an audience.

5. Improve Your Verbal and Written Skills

When you are writing something down, you become more careful in choosing the right words. This means your writing will be more eloquent, concise, and elegant than your actual speech.

But, if you keep at it long enough, plenty of those beautifully put together words, phrases, and sentences will begin to find their way in into your verbal communication skills . You will start to use an expanded vocabulary, which will leave a better impression of you on the person you are communicating with. Both your personal and professional lives stand to benefit from this.

6. You Will Feel like You Have Accomplished Something

You know that pleasant sense of accomplishment after building or fixing something, or winning a simple game?

You will also get that feeling once you finish writing a short story, your daily blog post, or your latest journal entry. Those who are more ambitious can take on writing a novel, or a book, which is even more satisfying and brings a greater sense of accomplishment. But, for the time being, stick to shorter forms and, who knows, you might even be able to publish some of your work down the line, or earn some money on the side thanks to your writing skills.

7. It’s a Great Mental Exercise

Keeping in shape doesn’t just apply to exercising your body regularly. You can do the same for you mind as well. Writing activates a number of different cognitive processes, and unleashes your creativity.

All of this will keep your brain sharp and active, and it can even act as a preventative measure against some mental illnesses, such as Alzheimer's or dementia. You can even join an online writing course to hone your skills and practice.

As you can see, there are plenty of ways in which you can benefit from writing on a regular basis, even if you are not a professional writer. All of these tips will lead you to become a more accomplished, eloquent, and satisfied person.

Great writing skills go a long way toward establishing you as a more complete person too. You will be able to improve your social life, and become a better professional.

Start writing today and reap the benefits.

About the Author

After a few years being a freelance teacher, Laura decided to become a freelance writer and editor instead.

She has worked many happy years as a writer, where she helps to edit the work of some of their most diligent and professional writers.

She one day hopes to own a ranch in Texas and has already started saving for the deposit.

Continue to: How Writing Can Make You a Better Person Journaling for Personal Development: Creating a Learning Journal

See also: Lifelong Learning | How to Write a Letter Writing your CV or Resume | Gender Neutral Writing

Why Is Writing Important? (22 Reasons)

Have you ever stopped to think about how much writing impacts your life? From jotting down a shopping list to sending a text message, writing is everywhere, shaping how we interact with the world and each other.

It’s fundamental, yet we often take for granted just how powerful a tool it can be. Good writing not only helps us share information but also transforms the way we think, learn, and connect.

In the pages that follow, let’s explore the myriad ways writing touches every corner of our existence. Can writing truly change your life, or is it just another skill to master? Stick around, and you just might discover that writing holds more power than you ever imagined.

Table of Contents

Writing Enhances Clarity in Communication

Effective communication is all about getting your point across with clarity and precision. Writing is the chisel that shapes rough ideas into sharp narratives. 

Think about the times you’ve written an email or a report. Choosing your words carefully, you have to consider how the reader will interpret them. This process alone can transform a muddled thought into a clear message.

  • It leads to a better understanding of personal and professional relationships.
  • Well-crafted writing avoids misunderstandings that can occur with spoken words.
  • Smooth communication builds trust and respect between parties.

By fostering clarity, writing becomes the bridge connecting intention with understanding, ensuring everyone is on the same page, quite literally.

Writing Aids in Learning and Retention of Information

There’s a reason why note-taking is encouraged in classrooms worldwide. Writing while learning actively engages the brain, prompting it to analyze and reframe information. This dual action cements knowledge more firmly than passive listening.

Remember those scribbled margins in your textbooks? Here’s what they’re actually doing:

  • They’re boosting your recall by creating unique connections in your brain.
  • Summarizing complex ideas in your own words locks in learning.
  • Writing by hand has been linked to improved memory retention.

When learners write about what they’re studying, they create a personal connection with the information, which is invaluable for retention. It also encourages them to think critically, ask questions, and explore the material on a deeper level. 

This technique is employed in various settings, from classrooms to professional workshops, demonstrating the significant role writing plays in learning and education.

Writing Can Influence Social Change

Writing isn’t just about putting words on a page; it’s a powerful tool for advocacy and reform. The written word has sparked revolutions and nurtured movements that have reshaped nations. 

Here’s a look at how writing changes the world:

  • It disseminates ideas that challenge the status quo, encouraging people to think and act.
  • Influential works, from Thomas Paine’s “ Common Sense ” to Rachel Carson’s “ Silent Spring , ” demonstrate the impact of writing on public opinion and policy.

This form of communication can sneak past barriers that might restrict spoken words. Written appeals to reason, emotion, and shared values can cross geographical and cultural boundaries to unite people under a common cause. 

Through blogs, social media, articles, and books, famed and anonymous writers stir hearts, evoke dialogue, and drive action. So, while a pen may seem mightier, it can indeed be more powerful than a sword when it comes to championing rights, justice, and democracy.

Writing Preserves Stories and Cultures

Cultures are the tapestries of human existence, woven with stories, traditions, and languages. Writing is the crucial thread that holds these tapestries together across time. 

It’s almost magical how script locked away in dusty tomes or engraved on ancient ruins breathes life into civilizations long gone.

  • Folktales:  Maintaining folklore through written records ensures generations to come know their ancestral stories.
  • Language:  Documenting dialects and idiomatic expressions keeps languages alive.
  • Traditions:  From recipes to rituals, writing preserves the unique practices of communities.

Through writing, individuals not only chronicle their current way of life but also ensure that future generations have a window into their ancestral past. 

Writing Sharpens Critical Thinking Skills

To craft a solid piece of writing, one must weigh evidence, discern patterns, and anticipate counterarguments—all activities that hone your ability to think deeply and critically. This is the rigorous mental exercise that strengthens your reasoning muscles. 

When you write an essay, for example, you must present a clear argument supported by facts. This process demands a level of analysis that goes beyond surface-level understanding.

Engaging with diverse perspectives is also part of being a thoughtful writer. By reading the works of others and writing critiques or responses, you immerse yourself in a dialogic process, exchanging ideas that refine your own thoughts and positions.

This dialogue with different viewpoints is integral to broadening your own intellectual horizons.

Writing Connects People Across Distances

Imagine you’re writing a letter to a friend on the other side of the world or a text message to a loved one just down the street. In both cases, the words you pen bridge the physical gap between you and them. 

Writing is a unique tool that connects us irrespective of location; it’s a heart-to-heart dialogue that can cross continents and oceans.

There’s something magical about opening an email from a friend abroad or stumbling upon a blog post that changes your perspective. It feels like they’re right there with you, sharing a moment in time. 

Even in our tech-savvy world where video calls are just a click away, the written word holds a special kind of intimacy — it can be saved, reread, and treasured in a way that spoken words cannot. 

Writing Improves Focus and Discipline

Engaging in the act of writing requires a level of concentration that few other activities can match. You’re pulling together thoughts, weaving words into sentences, and sentences into paragraphs—all of which demands a disciplined mind. 

Maintaining that focus over time helps to develop your ability to concentrate on tasks, both big and small.

For anyone who has set out to write a blog post or a book, the process often involves setting up a routine and sticking to it, come inspiration or writer’s block. This habitual commitment translates directly to improved self-regulation and time management skills as you become better at setting and achieving goals. 

Writing Assists in Conflict Resolution

By expressing ourselves through writing, we can clearly convey our thoughts and feelings, which is crucial in conflict resolution. Let’s break this down:

Clarifying Perspectives:

  • Expression of emotions : Writing allows individuals to articulate their feelings  without  the heat of verbal confrontation.
  • Rational argumentation : Parties involved can lay out their points logically, minimizing the potential for emotional escalation.

Understanding Parties’ Positions:  Written communication gives each party time to consider the other’s viewpoint and respond thoughtfully rather than reactively.

Documenting Agreements:  Written summaries of conflict resolutions serve as tangible records that can prevent future misunderstandings and foster long-term peacekeeping.

Whether it’s in personal relationships or international diplomacy, the pen can guide us toward finding common ground.

Writing Documents History and Important Information

Writing is the cornerstone of preserving human achievements and learning. Every innovation, from the wheel to the smartphone, has its development outlined in written form. 

Legal documents, with their precise language, dictate how societies function, maintaining order and recording the framework of our civilizations. 

But beyond the structural, writing offers intimacy with the past; it’s personal. Reading the musings of a 12th-century philosopher or the letters of a World War II soldier, we bridge the gap between now and then, understanding events and the people behind them.

The act of documenting through writing, as such, serves a dual purpose: 

  • It establishes the record that shapes the structure and identity of society.
  • It creates a pathway to revisit and learn from the experiences of those who came before us. 

Without writing, history would be like the wind, felt briefly but invisible to the eyes of the future.

Writing Refines Language Skills

Engaging regularly in writing is one of the most effective methods for improving language proficiency. It’s an active process that involves:

  • Vocabulary expansion : Delving into writing naturally exposes you to new words and phrases.
  • Grammar and syntax mastery : With practice, your sentence structure improves as you find more efficient ways to convey your message.
  • Style and tone variation : Writing allows you to experiment with different voices and styles suitable for various audiences and purposes.

The act of writing also provides an opportunity for feedback. Be it through a teacher’s corrections, an editor’s revisions, or comments from peers, each piece of feedback is a stepping stone toward language mastery. 

Whether you’re a native speaker or learning a new language, writing turns the abstract rules of grammar and style into concrete examples you create yourself, promoting a deeper internalization of the language.

Writing Organizes Thoughts and Ideas

Have you ever had a “ light bulb ” moment only to find it slipping away before you could fully grasp it? Writing is the tool we use to catch those ethereal thoughts and pin them down. 

It’s a mental sorting exercise, transforming a jumble of ideas into an ordered sequence. This linear format is tremendously powerful, allowing us to navigate complex concepts and construct detailed plans. 

Moreover, this ordering process is iterative; as we draft and redraft, our organized thoughts become refined arguments, compelling stories, or actionable strategies. Writing doesn’t just capture our initial musings; it shapes them into their most precise form.

Writing Helps Build Persuasive Arguments

When it comes to persuasion, writing is your secret weapon. It’s not just about having an idea but about  effectively  convincing others to get on board with that idea.

Through writing, you can carefully craft your argument step by step. 

  • You introduce your idea (the claim)
  • Back it up with solid evidence
  • Explain why this evidence matters (the explanation)

You’ve got the time to research your points thoroughly and present them in the most compelling way possible.

Consider the persuasive essays of high school, the debated op-eds in newspapers, or the carefully constructed cover letters accompanying job applications. Each is an exercise in persuasion, aiming to convert the reader from a state of indecision to one of agreement. 

Writing Fosters Creativity

Imagine the vast landscape of a blank page. Now, see it transforming as words dance across it, crafting worlds, characters, and plots. This is the realm where writing and creativity intertwine.

  • Unleashing the imagination : Writing gives life to the imagination, allowing the invisible to sculpt worlds as vivid as our reality.
  • Exploring possibilities : It allows us to ask “ what if ” and “ why not, ” pushing the boundaries of conventional thinking.
  • Expressive freedom : There are no limits; genres, forms, and styles become playgrounds for creative experimentation.

Whenever writers pick up a pen or type on a keyboard, they engage in a creative act. Whether it’s composing poetry, developing a story, or finding a creative solution to a problem, writing is a discovery process. 

The more you write, the more you tap into the depths of your imagination, stretching its capabilities. The act of writing itself can be a muse, sparking insights and ideas that might never surface in the regular rhythm of daily life.

Writing Can be Therapeutic

Engaging in the practice of writing has unexpected healing properties. It’s a canvas for the soul, where one can paint feelings, fears, and hopes in word form. As you articulate your inner narrative, you experience a sense of personal discovery and growth.

In therapy sessions,  writing  is often used as a tool to help individuals confront traumatic events or deal with psychological stress. The act of committing thoughts to paper can sometimes reveal patterns or solutions that were not evident before. 

Many people find that regular journaling makes their emotional burdens lighter and their minds clearer. This simple, quiet act of writing can be akin to a personal therapy session, fostering emotional health and well-being.

Writing is a Form of Entertainment

Whether getting lost in a fantasy novel or chuckling over a clever blog post, writing captivates and entertains our minds. It’s an escape hatch from reality, allowing readers to dive into different worlds, times, and experiences.

The Spectrum of Entertainment:

  • Novels and Short Stories : Craft vast adventures or snapshot moments.
  • Plays and Scripts : Bring characters and conflicts to life on stage and screen.
  • Poetry and Lyrics : Play with rhythm, rhyme, and emotions.

Writing is not only an important aspect of the entertainment industry, but it also serves as a personal amusement. From witty social media status updates to engaging articles on your favorite subjects, writing can elicit joy, suspense, laughter, and a range of emotions that enrich our daily lives.

Writing Aids in Personal Reflection and Introspection

When we put pen to paper, we engage in a solitary journey, navigating the corridors of our psyche. In a way, writing serves as the mirror through which we scrutinize our lives, dissecting our actions, thoughts, and feelings. 

Writing is introspective by nature; it requires us to slow down, reflect on our experiences, and examine them in the light of our deepest truths and beliefs. It’s a dialogue with the self that can lead to profound insights and a better understanding of personal motivations and desires. 

Whether chronicling daily events in a journal or composing letters that may never be sent, writing helps distill the essence of our experiences and offers a lens through which we can understand and evolve our sense of self.

Writing Empowers Self-Expression

Embracing the power of self-expression is to embrace the essence of what it means to be human. 

Through writing, individuals can craft their unique voices, assert their opinions, and leave an indelible mark on the tapestry of human experience. It’s an act of courage and an act of personal truth.

  • In novels, a character’s journey may mirror our own, echoing the complexities of real-life choices.
  • Blogs and articles serve as platforms for sharing insights and sparking discussions on topics that matter deeply to us.
  • Poetry breaks the chains of traditional narrative, allowing emotions to flow freely in a rhythmic and expressive dance.

Writing Keeps the Brain Active and Engaged

Just like how a runner sprints to keep muscles in peak condition, a writer pens words to exercise the brain. This mental workout boosts cognitive function and keeps the gears of the mind well-oiled. 

Consider the following:

  • Puzzling over the right word choices sharpens decision-making abilities.
  • Constructing complex sentences tests and improves memory.
  • Articulating abstract thoughts challenges the intellect and sparks neural connections.

Whether drafting a quick note or composing a lengthy manuscript, writing engages multiple areas of the brain, from language centers to memory storage. This continuous engagement is vital to maintaining a healthy and active mind throughout life, warding off the mental rust that can come with age or inactivity. 

Writing Helps in Career Progression

Writing is a ladder to career advancement. Here’s how it serves as a boost to professional growth:

  • Resume Crafting:  Your resume is your story, a narrative of your achievements. A well-written one can open the doors to new opportunities.
  • Effective Communication:  Clear, concise writing in emails and reports proves your professionalism and attention to detail, garnering respect from colleagues and superiors.
  • Thought Leadership:  Share your industry insights through articles or social media. It raises your profile and can position you as an expert in your field.

Proficiency in writing sets you apart in the job market and workplace. It’s a skill that shines a spotlight on your capabilities, helps you build influential networks, and can be a deciding factor in promotions and leadership roles.

Writing Secures Transactions and Agreements with Contracts

A contract is the backbone of a binding agreement, etched with words that spell out the expectations and obligations of all parties involved. 

Here’s how writing plays a crucial role:

  • Foundation : A written contract lays the groundwork, detailing the terms clearly to avoid ambiguity.
  • Protection : It serves as a legal safeguard, protecting interests and asserting rights.
  • Accountability : The contract ensures all parties are accountable, making commitments enforceable.

In the complex network of transactions and agreements that keep our world moving, writing stands guard against misunderstandings and disputes. Be it for buying a house, starting a new job, or entering into business partnerships, contracts captured in writing are the sentinels of our socio-economic landscape.

Writing is Integral for Marketing and Branding

In the realm of marketing and branding, words are currency. They can inform, persuade, and evoke emotions that drive consumer behavior. The language used in marketing materials can significantly impact how a brand is perceived and engaged with.

  • A captivating slogan can resonate with audiences, lodging itself in the communal consciousness.
  • Well-crafted copy defines a brand’s voice, from professional and authoritative to casual and friendly, shaping the brand’s public image and appeal.
  • Storytelling through content marketing forges a connection with customers, much like a novel draws in its readers, binding them to the characters—in this case, the brand and its offerings.

Through the strategic use of writing, a brand communicates its identity, values, and promises to the customer, establishing a narrative that differentiates it from competitors and builds brand loyalty.

Writing Encourages Lifelong Learning and Curiosity

The process of writing, though often seen as an output of learning, is equally powerful as a driver of continued education. When we write, we are not merely recording what we know; we are often learning anew.

Writing propels us to keep questioning, exploring, and absorbing the world. It injects curiosity into every subject touched by the tip of the pen. It opens the door to untapped reservoirs of knowledge, inviting us to step through and discover.

Can everyone benefit from writing, even if they’re not naturally good at it?

Yes, everyone can benefit from writing. Like any skill, writing improves with practice. It’s not just for professional writers or those with a natural talent. Writing is a fundamental skill that serves numerous practical purposes in everyone’s life.

How does writing differ from other forms of communication?

Writing allows for  thoughtful  expression where ideas can be refined and structured before sharing, providing a level of clarity and permanence that other forms of communication (like speaking) may not offer. It also transcends time and space, allowing for asynchronous communication.

How can someone improve their writing skills?

Improving writing skills can involve:

– Regular practice. – Reading widely. – Seeking feedback on your work. – Studying grammar and style. – Engaging in writing courses or workshops.

The key is to write consistently and be open to learning and refining your craft.

Can writing be a collaborative process? How?

Writing can be highly collaborative, with individuals working together to brainstorm, edit, and revise content. This is common in professional environments, academic settings, and even in creative writing, where authors may work with editors, publishers, and peer writers.

Is it important to maintain a personal style in writing?

While it’s crucial to adapt your writing to different contexts, maintaining a personal voice or style can help to differentiate and personalize your writing. It gives readers a sense of who you are and can make your writing more memorable and engaging.

Final Thoughts

It’s clear that it isn’t just about words on a page. It’s a tool for learning, a bridge for communication, and a foundation for building societies.

Whether carving out a career path or penning thoughts in a personal diary, writing is a companion that nurtures growth, kindles imaginations, and captures the full spectrum of human experience.

So the next time you pick up a pen, type out an email, or update your journal, remember the profound impact those seemingly simple acts of writing can have.

After all, each word you write weaves a thread into the vast tapestry of history, culture, and personal identity. And who knows? In sharing your story, you might just inspire someone else to start writing theirs.

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Robby Salveron

The 7 Psychological Benefits of Writing Regularly

When most people imagine a writer, they picture a quirky recluse hunched over a desk in some cabin with crumpled paper strewn about as they obsessively work on the next great American novel.

But writing is so much more. Prose is thought put to page, which makes all of us writers, even if we don’t have the chops to tangle with Faulkner. In most cases, writing is most useful as a tool for thinking, expression, and creativity; cabin-dwelling novelists be damned.

Let’s look at some of the benefits of making writing a regular habit .

1. Writing makes you happier

Much of the research on writing and happiness deals with expressive writing, or jotting down what you think and how you feel. Even blogging “undoubtedly affords similar benefits” to private expressive writing in terms of therapeutic value.

Expressive writing has also been linked to improved mood, well-being, and reduced stress levels for those who do it regularly, says Adam Grant:

“Research by Laura King shows that writing about achieving future goals and dreams can make people happier and healthier… And Jane Dutton and I found that when people doing stressful fundraising jobs kept a journal for a few days about how their work made a difference, they increased their hourly effort by 29% over the next two weeks.”

2. Writing helps clarify your thinking

Laziness with words creates difficulty in describing feelings, sharing experiences, and communicating with others. Being able to flesh out thoughts in your mind only to have them come stumbling out when you speak is supremely frustrating. Fortunately, regular writing seems to offer some reprieve.

In Richard Langham’s book Revising Prose , he shares that one of the most important benefits of clear writing is making sure you’re actually saying something. The cost of confusing someone else with unclear prose is high, but what about the cost of confusing yourself?

One benefit of writing is that it helps you remove the fluff and think clearly

As an added benefit, in both emotional intelligence and in hard sciences like mathematics, writing has been shown to help people communicate highly complex ideas more effectively. Writing helps eliminate “it sounded good in my head” by forcing your hand; brains forgive fuzzy abstractions, prose does not.

3. Writing can help you handle hard times

In one study that followed recently fired engineers, the researchers found that those engineers who consistently engaged with expressive writing were able to find another job faster. According to Adam Grant:

“The engineers who wrote down their thoughts and feelings about losing their jobs reported feeling less anger and hostility toward their former employer. They also reported drinking less. Eight months later, less than 19% of the engineers in the control groups were reemployed full-time, compared with more than 52% of the engineers in the expressive writing group.”

Older research also shows that writing about traumatic events actually made the participants more depressed until about six months later, when the emotional benefits started to stick. One participant noted, “Although I have not talked with anyone about what I wrote, I was finally able to deal with it, work through the pain instead of trying to block it out. Now it doesn’t hurt to think about it.”

It seems that timing is critical for expressive writing to have an impact. Forcing the process to happen may only worsen things, but if writing is an activity that is engaged in naturally, the benefits seem clear.

4. Writing makes you feel more grateful

As the authors of one study noted, subjects who reflected on the good things in their life once a week by writing them down were more positive and motivated about their current situations and their futures.

The catch was that the benefits were minimal when they wrote about them every day. This makes sense; any activity can feel disingenuous and just plain boring if done too often. It seems like the key is to reflect and write about gratitude regularly, but not begrudgingly often.

5. Writing helps close out your “mental tabs”

Have you ever had too many Internet tabs open at once? It is a madhouse of distraction. When I feel like my brain has too many tabs open at once, it’s often the result of trying to mentally juggle too many thoughts at the same time.

Writing gives form to your ideas and gets them out of your head, freeing up bandwidth and preventing you from crashing your browser like a late-night downward spiral on Wikipedia. Getting important ideas down alleviates the stress of losing your thoughts to time or an overcrowded mind.

I’ve personally never felt inclined to not work on something just because I “archived” the idea with some notes or an outline. In fact, I’m more likely to continue developing that idea since it has already been started.

If all else fails, remember this joke from Mitch Hedberg: “I sit at my hotel at night, I think of something that’s funny, then I go get a pen and I write it down. Or if the pen’s too far away, I have to convince myself that what I thought of ain’t funny.”

6. Writing is a proven way to learn

Information often sticks better when it’s learned as though it needs to be taught or re-written in your own words. This concept of having a “writer’s ear” never fully clicked with me until I started writing regularly.

There’s a certain discipline required to create interesting written work that demands the individual be receptive and focused on finding new sources of inspiration and insight. Personally, I’ve read books, listened to podcasts, and watched videos I would normally have put off in order to learn something new that I might write about it later. Writing improves your information diet .

Simply being a curator of good ideas encourages deeper thinking, research, and “heading down the rabbit hole” in order to find unique takes on topics that matter to you. Committing to creating a volume of work also allows you to tackle big ideas more effectively.

Writing around a certain topic for some time will allow you to build off of older thoughts, utilizing what you’ve already written to develop ideas on a grander scale. I’m sure many writers have written a paragraph that leads to an essay, which leads to a series of articles, which leads to a book.

7. Writing is leadership at scale

Though the world may now be drowning under the personal brand deluge, there are sincerely interesting opportunities that an “anyone can publish” world brings about.

The ability to leave an impact at scale through your words alone is an astounding concept. There’s a bit of a creative shock the first time someone emails you, thanking you for the work you’ve put out and sharing how it has helped or influenced them.

The positive feedback for this “leadership at scale” leads to gratitude and further motivation for the writer.

Copyright © 2023 • Sparring Mind

essay on the benefits of writing

By the Northeastern Community

What are the benefits of essay writing.

by Matthew | Sep 6, 2022 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

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If you are a student in college or university, you may be wondering why essays feature so heavily in your academic career. Regardless of your major, you will probably have to write several essays each semester. In fact, essay writing is viewed as such an important skill that students are given basic essay writing assignments from as early as elementary school.

Because essay writing can be a challenge, many students naturally feel averse to it. With so many overwhelming commitments and deadlines, it is lucky that students can easily order essay online to avoid failing. That said, essay writing can help you to gain valuable lifelong skills under the right circumstances. This article will explore some of them.

Why do we get many essay assignments?

Before we go into how essay writing is useful, let us look at why students have to write so many essays. Although the academic essay has been an integral part of the higher education experience for centuries, students today are given more frequent and harder essay assignments. Why?

You may be surprised to learn that the Internet played a crucial role in increasing our essay writing workload. Because so much information has been moved from dusty tomes and academic textbooks onto the web, people can access information quicker and more conveniently than ever.

Therefore, there is no longer a need for the academic system to prioritize memorization and recollection. While examinations and recitation used to be the standard way to assess learning, they are now largely irrelevant. Instead, educational institutions are focusing their efforts on developing higher-level abilities such as critical thinking.

Hence, essay writing is now widely utilized as an effective method of evaluating the understanding and analytical skills of students. If you are wondering how this shift in the education system helps you, here are the advantages that you can gain from essay writing.

1. You learn to research and analyze evidence

If students want to create an excellent essay, they must be able to correctly locate and make use of evidence that is relevant to the topic. Finding relevant sources of information from academic journals, the Internet, and independent research is a painstaking and involved process. When doing research for your essay, you learn how to conduct efficient research and separate useful knowledge from extraneous (albeit interesting) information.

Instead of simply regurgitating concepts that you studied in class, essay writing forces you to use critical thinking. You need to determine the kind of evidence that you need and undertake the relevant research to find it. Then, you must differentiate reputable and disreputable sources of information and apply standards to the evidence that you use to support your claims.

2. You learn to construct and defend arguments

It is futile having a strong opinion about a subject without having the skills to explain your point of view and persuade others to accept it. In the process of writing an essay, you learn how to formulate and defend your arguments. You learn to develop your idea from a single point and expand it into several smaller arguments that cover various facets of the issue. In short, you learn how to give your arguments substance.

Being able to effectively communicate one’s ideas is an important part of any profession. It also helps you to become a more well-rounded person. When writing an argumentative essay, you practice anticipating and addressing opposing views, which teaches you to see your issue from different perspectives. Through essay writing, you learn to articulate your thoughts in a way that is both clear and convincing.

3. You improve your writing skills

Essay writing allows you to put your talents to the test. You can improve your overall writing ability and confidence by routinely practicing writing. When you write an essay, you become familiar with mechanical writing skills, such as grammar, spelling, and punctuation, which are critical in all forms of written communication. Outside of academia, these writing skills will help you in many aspects of your future career.

Furthermore, essay writing provides you with the opportunity to receive expert feedback. Higher education is a time for academic and personal growth. Essay writing allows you to share your thoughts and writing skills with respected professionals who have a wealth of insight and experience. Whether you send your essay to a professional editor or your professor, you will come away with valuable advice on how to improve.

4. You learn to organize effectively

Essay writing is not merely about writing. It takes a fair measure of time management and organization to fit research, planning, and writing into your busy study schedule. You also apply organizing skills to information as you consider how to best structure your content to create the most compelling arguments. As you move blocks of time and pieces of information around in your head, you become a more effective organizer.

Students are receiving essay assignments more regularly today than ever before. As essay requirements become more demanding and difficult, it helps to remember that the exercise is designed to develop your skills and not just a sadistic requirement from your professors. However, if you are truly unable to cope with your essay workload, it can help to hire a professional essay writer to lend a hand.

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The Writing Process logo

The Writing Process

Making expository writing less stressful, more efficient, and more enlightening, search form, you are here, why should i use a writing process.

essay on the benefits of writing

“A blank piece of paper.” —Nobel Prize-winning writer Ernest Hemingway when asked about the scariest thing he’d ever encountered

First of all, it is important to recognize that even though it may be informal or unconscious and may vary slightly depending on the writing task, you probably already do use a writing process , and it probably goes something like this:

essay on the benefits of writing

  • You read the instructions and anxiously choose a topic, doing a cost-benefit analysis between what will be easiest to write, what will be most interesting for you, and what will get you the best grade in the least amount of time.
  • You do some brainstorming and make some notes.
  • You make a very rough, minimal outline, either on paper or just in your head.
  • You begin a painful struggle of writing the paper itself, agonizing over sentences and worrying not only about what ideas to put down but also how to say them not only grammatically correctly but even elegantly.
  • As this is often done the night (or morning) before the assignment is due, you take a short break and then reread the paper, fixing any spelling or grammar mistakes you notice and perhaps rewriting or adding a sentence or two.
  • You turn in the paper with that sense of fear still in the pit of your stomach and perhaps a vague—or very distinct—feeling that you could have done better, though you're not sure how.

Thus there are a few important reasons to use a formal writing process:

1. Reduce anxiety and stress.

essay on the benefits of writing

2. Increase quality.

essay on the benefits of writing

3. Learn more.

essay on the benefits of writing

Essay Papers Writing Online

The significance of writing – why crafting essays holds key importance in academic and professional circles.

Why is writing important essay

Essay writing is a crucial skill that plays a significant role in academic, professional, and personal development. It enables individuals to express their ideas, opinions, and arguments effectively, making it a powerful tool for communication and persuasion. Essays allow writers to dive deep into specific topics, conduct research, analyze information, and present their findings in a coherent and organized manner.

Furthermore, essay writing fosters critical thinking and analytical skills, helping individuals to evaluate and interpret information, develop logical reasoning, and form well-supported arguments. It encourages creativity and originality while promoting the ability to articulate thoughts clearly and concisely.

Whether in school, university, or the workplace, the ability to write compelling essays is highly valued and can make a difference in academic achievement, career success, and personal growth. By honing their essay writing skills, individuals can enhance their communication capabilities, expand their knowledge, and engage in meaningful dialogues with others.

Understanding the Significance

Essay writing plays a crucial role in academic and professional settings, as it helps individuals develop critical thinking skills, refine their writing abilities, and articulate their ideas effectively. By composing well-structured essays, students can demonstrate their understanding of a subject matter, analyze complex topics, and present well-supported arguments. The process of essay writing also encourages individuals to conduct research, explore different perspectives, and engage with diverse sources of information.

Furthermore, essay writing fosters creativity and innovation by challenging individuals to think creatively, organize their thoughts logically, and express their ideas in a coherent manner. It allows writers to refine their communication skills, develop their own unique voice, and convey complex concepts in a compelling way. Additionally, essay writing enables individuals to reflect on their own experiences, explore new ideas, and expand their knowledge base.

Ultimately, essay writing is a valuable skill that equips individuals with the tools they need to succeed both academically and professionally. It encourages critical thinking, enhances communication skills, and fosters intellectual growth. By mastering the art of essay writing, individuals can effectively convey their thoughts, ideas, and findings to a wider audience, contributing to their personal and professional development.

Exploring Academic Benefits

Exploring Academic Benefits

Essay writing is a crucial skill in academia, providing students with numerous benefits that extend far beyond the classroom. Through the process of researching, analyzing, and articulating their thoughts in a coherent manner, students develop critical thinking skills that are essential for success in their academic pursuits. Writing essays helps students to sharpen their ability to organize information, present arguments persuasively, and communicate their ideas effectively.

Furthermore, essay writing enhances students’ ability to conduct comprehensive research, evaluate sources, and synthesize information from various sources. These skills are essential for academic success as they enable students to delve deep into a topic, explore different perspectives, and develop well-rounded arguments supported by evidence.

Moreover, writing essays allows students to improve their writing skills, including grammar, punctuation, and style. By receiving feedback from teachers and peers, students can identify areas for improvement and refine their writing techniques. This process not only enhances students’ academic performance but also equips them with valuable communication skills that are essential in their future careers.

Enhancing Critical Thinking

Enhancing Critical Thinking

One of the key benefits of essay writing is the enhancement of critical thinking skills. When students engage in the process of researching and constructing an essay, they are encouraged to think analytically and critically about the topic at hand. This involves evaluating different perspectives, assessing the validity of arguments, and forming coherent and logical conclusions based on evidence.

Through the practice of essay writing, students are challenged to engage with complex ideas, think creatively, and develop their ability to construct well-reasoned arguments. This process of critical thinking is an essential skill that is valuable not only in academia but also in professional and personal life.

  • Essay writing requires students to analyze information critically
  • It helps in developing the ability to construct well-reasoned arguments
  • Enhances creative thinking and problem-solving skills

Developing Writing Skills

Essay writing is a key way to develop essential writing skills. By regularly writing essays, students can enhance their abilities to organize thoughts, construct arguments, and communicate effectively. Writing essays also helps to improve grammar, vocabulary, and critical thinking skills. Additionally, the research and analysis required for essays enable students to deepen their understanding of various topics and develop their ability to think creatively.

Boosting Communication Abilities

Essay writing plays a crucial role in boosting communication abilities. Through the process of researching, organizing ideas, and presenting arguments coherently, students develop their critical thinking skills and learn how to effectively convey their thoughts through writing. This practice translates into improved communication skills, both written and verbal, as students become more articulate and confident in expressing themselves.

Increasing Creativity

Essay writing is a great way to boost your creativity. When you are required to express your thoughts and ideas in an essay, you are encouraged to think critically, analyze information, and come up with creative solutions. This process helps to expand your mind and develop your creative thinking skills.

Through essay writing, you learn how to organize your thoughts, structure your arguments, and present your ideas in a clear and compelling way. This not only improves your writing skills but also stimulates your creativity. As you explore different topics, research new information, and form unique perspectives, you are constantly challenging your creative abilities.

Moreover, essay writing allows you to experiment with different writing styles, tones, and voices. By trying out new approaches and techniques, you can discover your unique writing voice and unleash your creativity. Whether you are writing a persuasive essay, a descriptive essay, or a narrative essay, you have the freedom to express yourself creatively and explore diverse formats.

Overall, essay writing is a creative process that can enhance your imaginative thinking, foster originality, and spark innovation. It provides a platform for you to unleash your creativity, express your ideas, and engage with others through meaningful and impactful writing.

Building Research Proficiency

In order to write a well-informed and compelling essay, it is essential to develop good research skills. Research proficiency involves the ability to gather and analyze information from credible sources, including books, articles, and academic journals. Conducting thorough research allows you to deepen your understanding of the topic and provide evidence to support your arguments.

One way to improve your research proficiency is to practice effective search strategies. Learning how to use online databases, library catalogs, and search engines can help you find relevant sources efficiently. Additionally, developing critical thinking skills can help you evaluate the reliability and credibility of the information you encounter during your research.

Furthermore, building research proficiency involves proper citation and referencing. Accurately citing the sources you use in your essay not only adds credibility to your writing but also demonstrates academic integrity. By following the guidelines of a specific citation style, such as APA or MLA, you can ensure that your research is properly acknowledged and avoid plagiarism.

Fostering Analytical Skills

Essay writing plays a crucial role in fostering analytical skills. When students engage in the process of researching, analyzing, and constructing arguments in an essay, they are honing their critical thinking abilities. Writing essays requires students to evaluate information, draw connections between different ideas, and present coherent, logical arguments.

Through the practice of essay writing, students learn to think critically, question assumptions, and develop their own unique perspectives. This process of analysis and reflection is essential for academic success and for preparing students to navigate complex challenges in their future careers.

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The Benefits of Essay Writing for Academic Success

A vintage but working typewriter is pictured from a birds eye view and this article covers the benefit of essay writing.

Honing the ability to craft stellar essays is indispensable for thriving in college. Yet there are myriad psychological barriers to writing.

Facing up that blank sheet of paper requires unrelenting perseverance. Including endless hours of work until you’re satisfied with your draft.

There is no magic button or phrase like, do my paper for me , that will get it done instantly.

Check out our comprehensive guide to dig into the major benefits of essay writing for academic success.

Then you can begin your gentle jog towards crafting one-of-a-kind academic papers!

Nurturing Creativity 

The moment you collect your thoughts and embark on your writing journey, your creative mind starts to experience an inner springtime, with ever-new ideas sprouting up.

It’s important to snatch this moment and give it your undivided attention. Ideas will pop up and vanish.

Unless you master the ability to seize them when they appear – you’ll lose them all.

Keep WB Yeats’s advice to writers in mind at all times: “ Do not hurry, do not rest “. Constant practice is essential for harnessing creativity.

If you’re putting in tons of work yet still find that your writing would benefit from professional help, worry no more.

There are a plethora of expert essay writing firms out there ready to lend you a hand.

Leveraging the expertise of research papers help to get a grip on the fundamentals of solid academic writing.

Professionals can help you understand whether your essays have the necessary intellectual grip and emotional appeal.

Honing Research Skills 

One of the major benefits of essay writing for academic success is your enhanced ability to conduct thorough research.

Then, use it to your fullest advantage.

You stand virtually no chance of coming up with a decent academic paper if you don’t delve deep into the subject.

Only good knowledge of the subject lets your imagination float unhindered, granting your narrative a fresh and juicy feel.  

What’s more, the benefits of fostering solid research skills transcend the confines of a classroom. Whatever you try to accomplish in life, fact-finding and thorough examination will always do the trick.

Practicing Self-Confidence

Among the many psychological benefits of writing is its ability to instill self-confidence. Embracing self-assured thinking is essential for producing top-notch academic papers.

Uncertainty will always be reflected in your writing.

But to learn the trick of confidence, you should feel the difference between arrogance and self-trust. Arrogance stifles your progress by suffocating your motivation to improve.

Self-confidence stems from your belief in your abilities while always leaving room for further development.

Elements that go into the writing process, including research, total concentration, and perseverance, help you build faith in your abilities.

That way, you cultivate just the right amount of self-confidence to produce essays that inspire.

Learning to Think Critically 

Academic essays are all about demonstrating your critical thinking skills. If you fail to build awareness and control your thoughts, your essay writing process will yield no results.

When you ponder the topics surrounding your essay, try to get a grip on your thought processes to devise robust thinking strategies.

They can become your secret tools for producing pristine academic papers every time.

Are You Ready to Write?

If you’re prone to procrastinating when it comes to constantly honing your writing skills, think twice. Apart from helping you excel at college, regular essay writing can help you foster skills.

Ones are indispensable for everyday life.

You May Also Like:

  • How Does Homework Help Students in the Future?
  • 6 Things You Need to Know Before Talking with Your Child’s Teachers
  • 10 Most Important Summer Maintenance Tasks for Landlords
  • How to Help Your First Year College Student Child Move Out of Their Dorm for the Summer

Self-reliance, concentration, research skills, and critical thinking are only some of these. We hope our suggestions have inspired you to start gathering more knowledge to set forth on your great writing adventure!

Can you think of any more benefits of essay writing?

Joanne Elliot is a student counselor and blogger. She has helped many students overcome the mental stress associated with college studies. Joanne spends her free time writing informative blogs to assist young people in cultivating academic skills and seizing the right opportunities around them.

A vintage but working typewriter is pictured from a birds eye view and this article covers the benefit of essay writing.

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Top 10 Importance of Writing Essay

Top 10 Importance of Writing Essay

Writing is a very important part of our history and lives as humans. There are several advantages that come with writing, but in this article, we have selected some of the top 10 importance of writing essays.

It may interest you to know that ever since the Greek and Roman eras, humans have been writing essays and papers. We have always been looking for ways to tell our stories, share our ideas, and even keep records by writing.

In our world today, essay writing forms a vital part of our degree programs and academic work . Some people may consider this irrelevant, but it has so many benefits that it creates which we will discuss in detail later.

However, before you can fully understand the importance of essay writing, you’ll need to know what an essay really is including its structures and categories. 

The following section gives you a brief introduction to essay writing, describes the structure of an effective essay, and offers you an interesting fact about essay writing you may have never known. 

Let’s dive right in together…

Table of Contents

Introduction to Essay Writing

Below are some things you’ll need to know about writing an essay.

What is an essay

An essay is a piece of writing about a particular subject, that is aimed at presenting the author’s point of view, sharing an idea, expressing an opinion or emotion, and communicating to others. 

It is believed that the word “essay” was derived from the French verb “essayer” which means “to try” . The word was originally known to mean “an attempt” or “a trial” in the English language.

However, the word began to acquire a new meaning when Michel de Montaigne (a French Man) described his writings as Essays. This was his way of characterizing his written work as “an attempt” to write down his thoughts. 

Classification of Essays 

Essay writing has been classified under two broad categories which are:

  • Formal essays
  • Informal essays 

Formal Essays:

These are also referred to as impersonal essays. They are often written in corporate settings and may require research, facts, and evidence to back them up. Some formal essays are written in the 3rd person voice or view.

Informal Essays:

Writing informal essays may not require a lot of research like formal essays. Essays like this can also be referred to as personal essays and are often written in the first person point of view. They can be subjective and conversational in nature and the author may freely express his/her opinions without necessarily providing evidence to prove them.

Structure of An Essay

To guide your essay writing, the structure of the essay sometimes called the shape of an essay is often broken down into 3 parts:

  • An introduction 
  • The main Body
  • Conclusion 

An introduction:

This is where you present your topic, offer your reader background and provide a thesis statement if you have any. The introduction of an essay usually contains;

  • Thesis statement

The Main Body: 

Writers often use the body of their essay to express more clearly and broadly the statements or ideas in their introduction. When writing an essay, you can use the body to explain core arguments, give clear analysis, and present evidence to back up your claims. It is recommended to start each paragraph of your essay body with a topic sentence.

Conclusion:

After you’ve exhausted your points and explanations in the body of your essay, you’ll need to round everything up. A conclusion helps you to do that by tying up your main points and showing clearly the conclusions you wish your readers to acquire from your essay.

What are the Benefits of Essay Writing?

Below is a list of the top 10 importance of Essay Writing:

  • Makes You A Better Writer
  • Improves your Communication Skills
  • Acquire Research Skills
  • Essay writing Improves Creativity
  • Essay Writing is Useful for Professional and Employment Purposes
  • Broaden Your Knowledge Base
  • Essential for Academic Success
  • Helps You Become More Aware of your Choices
  • You make better decisions
  • Think Smarter.

Thinking about the general importance of writing skills? Read these top 10 importance of writing and find out for yourself. Let’s quickly get down to the benefits of Essay Writing.

1.  Makes You A Better Writer

It is said that practice makes perfect. That statement holds true for essay writing as it does for other things too. Writing essays will help you improve your writing skills, produce better papers, and may also improve your college score.

If you write essays often, you may begin to discover new ways to write, new writing tips, tricks, and new strategies.

You become able to structure a more clear argument and write persuasively.

2. Improves your Communication Skills

As long as we live in the midst of people, we would always need to communicate our ideas, feelings, and desires to others.

Essay writing helps you to develop the ability to clearly lay out your thoughts and express them in the best possible way. It is believed that great communicators have a greater chance to get what they want and become successful.

With essay writing, you learn to structure your thoughts into words and this develops your ability to communicate better.

3. Acquire Research Skills 

Most essays will require you to conduct research inorder to find facts and evidence to defend your work. In the process of finding these facts for your essay, you begin to pick up essential research skills that will help you in other areas of your life.

Essay writing will help you know how to find accurate and trusted information from the vast amount of information on the web.

4. Essay writing Improves Creativity 

Some essay topics may cause you to stretch your mind inorder to find creative ways to deliver them. This does something to your ability to reason and come up with creative ideas.

You may begin to search for new information, a new presentation style, and other creative ways to make your essay come out well. All these activities will help you discover new aspects of your creativity you never knew you had.

5. Essay Writing is Useful for Professional and Employment Purposes

Essay writing involves a lot of information gathering, analysis, and research. These activities are also useful in professional organizations.

For example, marketers will need to provide reports, programmers will need to prepare documentation and other professionals may need to send out letters.

If you’ve already had a previous essay writing background, this may come in handy.

6. Broaden Your Knowledge Base

Writing has a way to help you see things in a more clear way. As you make research for your essays, you become enlightened on subjects you had little or no knowledge about.

You begin to see certain connections and you begin to have a better understanding of certain subjects and concepts.

Also, you may be given essay writing assignments in fields you’re not knowledgeable in.

As you carry out your research, everything begins to become clearer and you learn more about the subject than you knew before.

7. Essential for Academic Success 

In our educational institutions today, writing is one of the core aspects of everything we do.

It is important if you want to acquire good academic grades in fulfillment of your educational pursuit. Students who are aware of this employ essay writing services to help them ace their projects and/or assignments.

8. Helps You Become More Aware of your Choices.

Let’s say you had a particular opinion about a subject you were told to write an essay about. While you were gathering information, you became aware of what the subject really entailed and you began to see the cracks in your past opinion.

That’s exactly what essay writing can do for you. It can help you see more clearly why your opinion on a particular topic may have been biased or uninformed.

9. You make better decisions 

The research skills you pick up from essay writing will help you to make better decisions. You’ll learn how to use research to guide the decisions you make.

Research essays train your mind to decide upon the most credible and reasonable options thereby teaching you how to pick the better option from a list of other conflicting alternatives.

10. Think Smarter

Some people wrongly believe that essay writing should be for only people in the arts, language studies, or writing. When you begin to develop an essay with your outline, you’ll learn how to pick the best approach to your essay. You’ll naturally begin to have the tendency to think Smarter as you delve deeper into topics.

As you do this continuously, you’ll begin to see beyond surface level understanding, and you’ll start engaging in critical thinking.

Frequently Asked Questions About Essay Writing 

1. what is the most important thing when writing an essay.

Your Thesis or Argument. The main argument of your essay must be clearly written with logical facts, evidence and proof. Make a strong argument and persuade your readers with a well-written thesis.

2. What are the important parts of essay?

There are 3 major parts of an essay which includes: •The Introduction. •The Body. •The Conclusion. Using an outline before you start writing, will help you identify how to properly structure your essay within these parts.

3. What are the important uses of writing?

Writing is a vital part of our lives and history. There are several uses of writing, but some of them include: •Communication, •Keep Records, •Store information.

4. What purpose does writing serve?

Writing has so many purposes. However, there are 5 purposes that stands out. They are; 1. Persuasion. 2. Information. 3. Entertainment. 4. Explanation. 5. Record Keeping.

5. What is the purpose of essay writing?

Essay Writing can serve so many purposes. However, a major purpose of essay writing is to present an opinion, idea, or argument in response to a subject matter or question and offer evidence that persuades your readers that your opinion is correct or reasonable.

Important Recommendations 

  • 100 Best Free Online Books to Read for Kids and Adults
  • Benefits of Studying Abroad
  • Top 20 Sites to Read Free Books Online Without Downloading
  • 20 Importance of Education .

You can acquire a lot of soft and hard skills from your essay writing projects and activities. This article has outlined just 10 importance of writing essays, but there are other benefits that we’ve not discussed.

Writing Essays may be a tedious and difficult task, but it pays off if done properly and with a goal in mind. Recently, a lot of software has also been developed to help people become better writers and make writing fun.

This article was written to help you, we hope it did. Check out other valuable recommendations and articles within the blog.

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11.1 The Purpose of Research Writing

Learning objectives.

  • Identify reasons to research writing projects.
  • Outline the steps of the research writing process.

Why was the Great Wall of China built? What have scientists learned about the possibility of life on Mars? What roles did women play in the American Revolution? How does the human brain create, store, and retrieve memories? Who invented the game of football, and how has it changed over the years?

You may know the answers to these questions off the top of your head. If you are like most people, however, you find answers to tough questions like these by searching the Internet, visiting the library, or asking others for information. To put it simply, you perform research.

Whether you are a scientist, an artist, a paralegal, or a parent, you probably perform research in your everyday life. When your boss, your instructor, or a family member asks you a question that you do not know the answer to, you locate relevant information, analyze your findings, and share your results. Locating, analyzing, and sharing information are key steps in the research process, and in this chapter, you will learn more about each step. By developing your research writing skills, you will prepare yourself to answer any question no matter how challenging.

Reasons for Research

When you perform research, you are essentially trying to solve a mystery—you want to know how something works or why something happened. In other words, you want to answer a question that you (and other people) have about the world. This is one of the most basic reasons for performing research.

But the research process does not end when you have solved your mystery. Imagine what would happen if a detective collected enough evidence to solve a criminal case, but she never shared her solution with the authorities. Presenting what you have learned from research can be just as important as performing the research. Research results can be presented in a variety of ways, but one of the most popular—and effective—presentation forms is the research paper . A research paper presents an original thesis, or purpose statement, about a topic and develops that thesis with information gathered from a variety of sources.

If you are curious about the possibility of life on Mars, for example, you might choose to research the topic. What will you do, though, when your research is complete? You will need a way to put your thoughts together in a logical, coherent manner. You may want to use the facts you have learned to create a narrative or to support an argument. And you may want to show the results of your research to your friends, your teachers, or even the editors of magazines and journals. Writing a research paper is an ideal way to organize thoughts, craft narratives or make arguments based on research, and share your newfound knowledge with the world.

Write a paragraph about a time when you used research in your everyday life. Did you look for the cheapest way to travel from Houston to Denver? Did you search for a way to remove gum from the bottom of your shoe? In your paragraph, explain what you wanted to research, how you performed the research, and what you learned as a result.

Research Writing and the Academic Paper

No matter what field of study you are interested in, you will most likely be asked to write a research paper during your academic career. For example, a student in an art history course might write a research paper about an artist’s work. Similarly, a student in a psychology course might write a research paper about current findings in childhood development.

Having to write a research paper may feel intimidating at first. After all, researching and writing a long paper requires a lot of time, effort, and organization. However, writing a research paper can also be a great opportunity to explore a topic that is particularly interesting to you. The research process allows you to gain expertise on a topic of your choice, and the writing process helps you remember what you have learned and understand it on a deeper level.

Research Writing at Work

Knowing how to write a good research paper is a valuable skill that will serve you well throughout your career. Whether you are developing a new product, studying the best way to perform a procedure, or learning about challenges and opportunities in your field of employment, you will use research techniques to guide your exploration. You may even need to create a written report of your findings. And because effective communication is essential to any company, employers seek to hire people who can write clearly and professionally.

Writing at Work

Take a few minutes to think about each of the following careers. How might each of these professionals use researching and research writing skills on the job?

  • Medical laboratory technician
  • Small business owner
  • Information technology professional
  • Freelance magazine writer

A medical laboratory technician or information technology professional might do research to learn about the latest technological developments in either of these fields. A small business owner might conduct research to learn about the latest trends in his or her industry. A freelance magazine writer may need to research a given topic to write an informed, up-to-date article.

Think about the job of your dreams. How might you use research writing skills to perform that job? Create a list of ways in which strong researching, organizing, writing, and critical thinking skills could help you succeed at your dream job. How might these skills help you obtain that job?

Steps of the Research Writing Process

How does a research paper grow from a folder of brainstormed notes to a polished final draft? No two projects are identical, but most projects follow a series of six basic steps.

These are the steps in the research writing process:

  • Choose a topic.
  • Plan and schedule time to research and write.
  • Conduct research.
  • Organize research and ideas.
  • Draft your paper.
  • Revise and edit your paper.

Each of these steps will be discussed in more detail later in this chapter. For now, though, we will take a brief look at what each step involves.

Step 1: Choosing a Topic

As you may recall from Chapter 8 “The Writing Process: How Do I Begin?” , to narrow the focus of your topic, you may try freewriting exercises, such as brainstorming. You may also need to ask a specific research question —a broad, open-ended question that will guide your research—as well as propose a possible answer, or a working thesis . You may use your research question and your working thesis to create a research proposal . In a research proposal, you present your main research question, any related subquestions you plan to explore, and your working thesis.

Step 2: Planning and Scheduling

Before you start researching your topic, take time to plan your researching and writing schedule. Research projects can take days, weeks, or even months to complete. Creating a schedule is a good way to ensure that you do not end up being overwhelmed by all the work you have to do as the deadline approaches.

During this step of the process, it is also a good idea to plan the resources and organizational tools you will use to keep yourself on track throughout the project. Flowcharts, calendars, and checklists can all help you stick to your schedule. See Chapter 11 “Writing from Research: What Will I Learn?” , Section 11.2 “Steps in Developing a Research Proposal” for an example of a research schedule.

Step 3: Conducting Research

When going about your research, you will likely use a variety of sources—anything from books and periodicals to video presentations and in-person interviews.

Your sources will include both primary sources and secondary sources . Primary sources provide firsthand information or raw data. For example, surveys, in-person interviews, and historical documents are primary sources. Secondary sources, such as biographies, literary reviews, or magazine articles, include some analysis or interpretation of the information presented. As you conduct research, you will take detailed, careful notes about your discoveries. You will also evaluate the reliability of each source you find.

Step 4: Organizing Research and the Writer’s Ideas

When your research is complete, you will organize your findings and decide which sources to cite in your paper. You will also have an opportunity to evaluate the evidence you have collected and determine whether it supports your thesis, or the focus of your paper. You may decide to adjust your thesis or conduct additional research to ensure that your thesis is well supported.

Remember, your working thesis is not set in stone. You can and should change your working thesis throughout the research writing process if the evidence you find does not support your original thesis. Never try to force evidence to fit your argument. For example, your working thesis is “Mars cannot support life-forms.” Yet, a week into researching your topic, you find an article in the New York Times detailing new findings of bacteria under the Martian surface. Instead of trying to argue that bacteria are not life forms, you might instead alter your thesis to “Mars cannot support complex life-forms.”

Step 5: Drafting Your Paper

Now you are ready to combine your research findings with your critical analysis of the results in a rough draft. You will incorporate source materials into your paper and discuss each source thoughtfully in relation to your thesis or purpose statement.

When you cite your reference sources, it is important to pay close attention to standard conventions for citing sources in order to avoid plagiarism , or the practice of using someone else’s words without acknowledging the source. Later in this chapter, you will learn how to incorporate sources in your paper and avoid some of the most common pitfalls of attributing information.

Step 6: Revising and Editing Your Paper

In the final step of the research writing process, you will revise and polish your paper. You might reorganize your paper’s structure or revise for unity and cohesion, ensuring that each element in your paper flows into the next logically and naturally. You will also make sure that your paper uses an appropriate and consistent tone.

Once you feel confident in the strength of your writing, you will edit your paper for proper spelling, grammar, punctuation, mechanics, and formatting. When you complete this final step, you will have transformed a simple idea or question into a thoroughly researched and well-written paper you can be proud of!

Review the steps of the research writing process. Then answer the questions on your own sheet of paper.

  • In which steps of the research writing process are you allowed to change your thesis?
  • In step 2, which types of information should you include in your project schedule?
  • What might happen if you eliminated step 4 from the research writing process?

Key Takeaways

  • People undertake research projects throughout their academic and professional careers in order to answer specific questions, share their findings with others, increase their understanding of challenging topics, and strengthen their researching, writing, and analytical skills.
  • The research writing process generally comprises six steps: choosing a topic, scheduling and planning time for research and writing, conducting research, organizing research and ideas, drafting a paper, and revising and editing the paper.

Writing for Success Copyright © 2015 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

What Benefits Might Reflective Writing Have for My Students?

Getting Started

Why include writing in my courses?

What is writing to learn?

WTL Activities

What is writing to engage?

What is writing in the disciplines?

WID Assignments

Useful Knowledge

What should I know about rhetorical situations?

Do I have to be an expert in grammar to assign writing?

What should I know about genre and design?

What should I know about second-language writing?

What teaching resources are available?

What should I know about WAC and graduate education?

Assigning Writing

What makes a good writing assignment?

How can I avoid getting lousy student writing?

What benefits might reflective writing have for my students?

Using Peer Review

Why consider collaborative writing assignments?

Do writing and peer review take up too much class time?

How can I get the most out of peer review?

Responding to Writing

How can I handle responding to student writing?

Sample Grading Sheets

How can writing centers support writing in my courses?

What writing resources are available for my students?

Using Technology

How can computer technologies support writing in my classes?

Designing and Assessing WAC Programs

What is a WAC program?

What designs are typical for WAC programs?

How can WAC programs be assessed?

More on WAC

Where can I learn more about WAC?

In The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action , Donald Schön notes that

When we go about the spontaneous, intuitive performance of the actions of everyday life, we show ourselves to be knowledgeable in a special way. Often we cannot say what it is that we know. When we try to describe it we find ourselves at a loss, or we produce descriptions that are obviously inappropriate. Our knowing is ordinarily tacit, implicit in our patterns of action and in our feel for the stuff with which we are dealing. (49)

He then explains one of the major functions of reflection for the practitioner:

Through reflection, [the practitioner] can surface and criticize the tacit understandings that have grown up around the repetitive experiences of a specialized practice, and can make new sense of the situations of uncertainty or uniqueness which he may allow himself to experience. (61)

As writers, students have less tacit understanding of how to construct texts generally and much less tacit understanding of how to construct texts in their new content disciplines. Thus, the first major contribution of reflective writing for students as writers is that such work allows student writers to examine their tacit understandings to see where and how those might be elaborated for the complex or uncertain rhetorical contexts they write within.

In addition to this advantage of reflection, many teachers of writing have found that students who reflect about their writing processes and decisions are able and careful critics of their own work. They often see exactly those shortcomings that a target reader will identify. Students can, then, anticipate the responses that teachers give to the text, often in productive ways if the reflective writing occurs before final submission of a writing assignment.

Teachers who assign reflective writing, however, are not solely concerned with having students consider their writing processes and rhetorical decisions. Many teachers across the curriculum strongly believe in the value of reflecting on one's knowledge and practices, particularly in clinical, professional, and classroom settings.

To sum up responses to the question, then, reflective writing benefits students because it

  • Helps students identify their tacit knowledge as well as gaps in that knowledge
  • Brings to the surface rhetorical and writing process decisions that can focus subsequent revision or learning
  • Encourages growth as a working professional

Beyond the Basics

Reflective writing is used across disciplines, but it most widely accepted as a pre-professional practice in nursing and teacher education. (See Mortari 2012, for a partial review of the literature in nursing.) The sheer number of recent titles on reflection in the literature of these disciplines puts an exhaustive review (or even listing) beyond the scope of this text, but the table below captures some of recent titles across the curriculum. Please search key disciplinary journals to find those sources most pertinent to the courses you teach.

Often, reflective writing is assigned or captured in journals (kept in hardcopy or online). One common complaint from students is that so many of their teachers assign reflective journals that students feel overburdened with this kind of writing. Teachers, on the other hand, sometimes complain that students do not engage in authentic reflection and rely instead on simple description of activities or events. To address these typical problems, Dyment et al. (2010) consider the factors that limit the effectiveness of reflective journals for students. They provide useful suggestions for setting clear expectations by specifying the purpose of the journal in the specific course as well as connecting journal goals to a larger educational program or professional practice. Dyment et al. also explore the importance of noting the audience for the journal and its "mechanics"—how much it counts in a course grade, how often students should write and for how long, what specific requirements the teacher has for entries, and so on. They continue their helpful logistical advice with notes about how to help students to read and write journal entries and how and when to respond and grade journals. (See also Mills, 2008.)

Hubbs & Brand (2010) add to this basic information about setting up a reflective journal by defining two dimensions common to journal activities -concrete/abstract and cognitive/affective spectra. They contend that having students analyze their own journaling helps them to connect and critique classroom learning and practical experience.

Moving beyond the journal as the vehicle for reflection, Rusche & Jason (2011) describe a detailed sequence of reflective writing tasks that culminate in a final reflective essay. Although their sequence derives from sociology, the activities might easily translate to other disciplines. Similarly, Mair (2012) describes an online resource designed to facilitate reflective writing, develop students' metacognitive awareness and, ultimately, enhance learning.

Rai (2012) turns to questions related to assessing reflective writing, focusing specifically on the emotional elements often included in reflection on practice in disciplines such as social work, nursing, and teaching. Like Rai, Tummons (2011) questions the validity of assessing reflective writing. Unlike Rai, Tummons' position is more critical of our current assessment practices. He argues that our typical assessment practices mask complexities and contradictions in how students write reflective assignments and how we read them. He calls for new assessment based on clearer theoretical underpinnings, particularly from social theories of language and literacy. Although not focused exclusively on assessment of reflective writing, Ross (2011) also takes up theoretical viewpoints on the affective dimension of reflective writing and how teachers might consider issues of identity, authenticity, ownership, privacy and performativity in compulsory reflective writing.

Attard, K. (2012). The role of narrative writing in improving professional practice. Educational Action Research, 20 (1), 161-175.

Badley, G. (2009). A reflective essaying model for higher education. Education & Training, 51 (4), 248-258.

Bairral, M.A., & dos Santos, R.T. (2012). E-Portfolio improving learning in mathematics pre-service teacher. Digital Education Review, 21 : 1-12.

Baker, F., & Krout, R. (2012). Turning experience into learning: Educational contributions of collaborative peer songwriting during music therapy training. International Journal of Music Education, 30 (2), 133-147.

Balgopal, M.M., & Montplaisir, L.M. (2011). Meaning making: What reflective essays reveal about biology students' conceptions about natural selection. Instructional Science, 39 (2), 137-169.

Barney, K., & Mackinlay, E. (2010). Creating rainbows from words and transforming understandings: Enhancing student learning through reflective writing in an aboriginal music course. Teaching in Higher Education, 15 (2), 161-173.

Bisman, J. (2011). Engaged pedagogy: A study of the use of reflective journals in accounting education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 36 (3), 315-330.

Brewer, S.M., & Jozefowicz, J.J. (2006). Making economic principles personal: Student journals and reflection papers. Journal of Economic Education, 37 (2), 202-216.

Brown, L., & Coles, A. (2012). Developing "deliberate analysis" for learning mathematics and for mathematics teacher education: How the enactive approach to cognition frames reflection. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 80 (1), 15.

Browning, B.W. (2011). Gladwell and group communication: Using "The Tipping Point" as a supplemental text. Communication Teacher 25 (2), 90-93.

Chu, S.K.W., Chan, C.K.K., & Tiwari, A.F.Y. (2012). Using blogs to support learning during internship. Computers & Education, 58 (3), 989-1000.

Ciminelli, M.R. (2011). A model for developing pre-service teacher reflection: An interactive intervention strategy. AILACTE Journal, 8 : 1-14.

Cisero, C.A. (2006). Does reflective journal writing improve course performance? College Teaching, 54 (2), 231-236.

Clark, K.M. (2010). Applied and transformed understanding in introductory psychology: Analysis of a final essay assignment. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 10 (3), 41-57.

Dianovsky, M.T., & Wink, D.J. (2012). Student learning through journal writing in a general education chemistry course for pre-elementary education majors. Science Education, 96 (3), 543-565.

Dyment, J.E., & O'Connell, T.S. (2010). The quality of reflection in student journals: A review of limiting and enabling factors. Innovative Higher Education, 35 (4), 233-244.

Fadde, P.J., Aud, S., & Gilbert, S. (2009). Incorporating a video-editing activity in a reflective teaching course for preservice teachers. Action in Teaching Education, 31 (1), 75-86.

Gulwadi, G.B. (2009). Using reflective journals in a sustainable design studio. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 10 (1), 43-53.

Hagevik, R., Aydeniz, M., & Rowell, C.G. (2012). Using action research in middle level teacher education to evaluate and deepen reflective practice. Teaching and Teacher Education, 28 (5), 675-684.

Harland, D.J., & Wondra, J.D. (2011). Preservice teachers' reflection on clinical experiences: A comparison of blog and final paper assignments. Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 27 (4), 128-133.

Hill, A.E., Davidson, B.J., & Theodoros, D.G. (2012). Reflections on clinical learning in novice speech-language therapy students. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 47 (4), 413-426.

Ho, S., & Lee, V.M.W. (2012). Toward integration of reading and service learning through an interdisciplinary program. Asia Pacific Education Review, 13 (2), 251-262.

Holtzman, M. (2005). Teaching sociological theory through active learning: The irrigation exercise. Teaching Sociology, 33 (2), 206-212.

Hubbs, D., & Brand, C.F. (2010). Learning from the inside out: A method for analyzing reflective journals in the college classroom. Journal of Experiential Education, 33 (1), 56-71.

Hughes, J.L. (2008). Encouraging students to apply human sexuality material to themselves by using integration papers. American Journal of Sexuality Education, 3 (3), 247-253.

Jehangir, R. (2010). Stories as knowledge: Bringing the lived experience of first-generation college students into the academy. Urban Education, 45 (4), 533-553.

Kajder, S., & Parkes, K. (2012). Examining preservice teachers' reflective practice within and across multimodal writing environments. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 20 (3), 229-249.

Kalman, C.S. (2011). Enhancing students' conceptual understanding by engaging science text with reflective writing as a hermeneutical circle. Science & Education, 20 (2), 159-172.

Kalman, C.S., & Rohar, S. (2010). Toolbox of activities to support students in a physics gateway course. Physical Review Special Topics - Physics Education Research, 6 (2), 2011-2015.

Knapp, N.F. (2012). Reflective journals: Making constructive use of the "apprenticeship of observation" in preservice teacher education. Teaching Education, 23 (3), 323-340.

Lai, G., & Calandra, B. (2010). Examining the effects of computer-based scaffolds on novice teachers' reflective journal writing. Educational Technology Research and Development, 58 (4), 421-437.

Lee, O. (2010). Facilitating preservice teachers' reflection through interactive online journal writing. Physical Educator, 67 (3), 128-139.

Leijen, A., Valtna, K., Leijen, D.A.J., & Pedaste, M. (2012). How to determine the quality of students' reflections? Studies in Higher Education, 37 (2), 203-217.

Lew, D.N.M., & Schmidt, H.G. (2011). Writing to learn: Can reflection journals be used to promote self-reflection and learning? Higher Education Research and Development, 30 (4), 519-532.

Lie, D., Shapiro, J., Cohn, F., & Najm, W. (2010). Reflective practice enriches clerkship students' cross-cultural experiences. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 25 (2), S119-S125.

Mair, C. (2012). Using technology for enhancing reflective writing, metacognition and learning. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 36 (2), 147-167.

Mayne, L. (2012). Reflective writing as a tool for assessing teamwork in bioscience: Insights into student performance and understanding of teamwork. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education, 40 (4), 234-240.

McDonald, J., & Dominguez, L. (2009). Reflective writing: Developing patterns for thinking about learning in science. Science Teacher, 76 (3), 46-49.

McGuinness, M. (2009). Putting themselves in the picture: Using reflective diaries in the teaching of feminist geography. Journal of Geography in Higher Education, 33 (3), 339-349.

McGuire, L., Lay, K., & Peters, J. (2009). Pedagogy of reflective writing in professional education. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 9 (1), 93-107.

Mills, R. (2008). "It's just a nuisance": Improving college student reflective journal writing. College Student Journal, 42 (2), 684-690.

Moore, F.M. (2008). Agency, identity, and social justice education: Preservice teachers' thoughts on becoming agents of change in urban elementary science classrooms. Research in Science Education, 38 (5), 599-610.

Mortari, L. (2012). Learning thoughtful reflection in teacher education. Teachers and Teaching, 18 (5), 525-545.

Mott, J. (2008). Passing our lives through the fire of thought: The personal essay in the political theory classroom. PS: Political Science & Politics, 41 (1), 207-211.

Nesoff, I. (2004). Student journals: A tool for encouraging self-reflection and critical thought. The Journal of Baccalaureate Social Work, 10 (1), 46-60.

O'Connell, T., & Dyment, J. (2011). Health and physical education pre-service teacher perceptions of journals as a reflective tool in experience-based learning. European Physical Education Review, 17 (2), 135-151.

Park, J.J., & Millora, M.L. (2012). The relevance of reflection: An empirical examination of the role of reflection in ethic of caring, leadership, and psychological well-being. Journal of College Student Development, 53 (2), 221-242.

Parker, D.C. (2010). Writing and becoming [a teacher]: Teacher candidates' literacy narratives over four years. Teaching and Teacher Education: An International Journal of Research and Studies, 26 (6), 1249-1260.

Parry, D., Walsh, C., Larsen, C., & Hogan, J. (2012). Reflective practice: A place in enhancing learning in the undergraduate bioscience teaching laboratory? Bioscience Education, 19 : 10.

Ponte, L.M. (2006). The case of the unhappy sports fan: Embracing student-centered learning and promoting upper-level cognitive skills through an online dispute resolution simulation. Journal of Legal Studies Education, 23 (2), 169-194.

Prescott, L. (2012). Life writing and life-learning: An analysis of creative writing students' work. Studies in Continuing Education, 34 (2), 145-157.

Rai, L. (2012). Responding to emotion in practice-based writing. Higher Education: The International Journal of Higher Education and Educational Planning, 64 (2), 267-284.

Ross, J. (2011). Traces of self: Online reflective practices and performances in higher education. Teaching in Higher Education, 16 (1), 113-126.

Rusche, S.N., & Jason, K. (2011). "You have to absorb yourself in it": Using inquiry and reflection to promote student learning and self-knowledge. Teaching Sociology, 39 (4), 338-353.

Ryan, M., & Brough, D. (2012). Reflections around artefacts: Using a deliberative approach to teaching reflective practices in fashion studies. Journal of Learning Design, 5 (1), 1-11.

Schwartz, R.S., Lederman, N.G., & Crawford, B.A. (2004). Developing view of nature of science in an authentic context: An explicit approach to bridging the gap between nature of science and scientific inquiry. Science Education, 88 (4), 610-645.

Schön, D. (1983). The Reflective Practitioner: How Professionals Think in Action . New York: Basic Books.

Shepherd, R. (2010). If these walls could talk: Reflective practice in addiction studies among undergraduates in New Zealand. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 8 (4), 583-594.

Simmons, S.R. (2008). "Knowing our place and time": Memoir as pedagogy. Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education. 37 : 1-7.

Smith-Battle, L. (2012). Learning to see the other through student-created dramas. Journal of Nursing Education, 51 (10), 591-594.

Starks, D., Nicholas, H., & Macdonald, S. (2012). Structured reflective communication as a meta-genre in teacher education: Creative uses of "critique" in a teacher education program. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 37 (3), 90-110.

Sung, T.Y., Chang, E.K., Yu, C.W., & Chang, H.T. (2009). Supporting teachers' reflection and learning through structured digital teaching portfolios. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 25 (4), 375-385.

Trepagnier, B. (2004). Teaching sociology through student portfolios. Teaching Sociology, 32 (2), 197-205.

Tummons, J. (2011). "It sort of feels uncomfortable": Problematising the assessment of reflective practice. Studies in Higher Education, 36 (4), 471-483.

Vega, G. (2010). The undergraduate case research study model. Journal of Management Education, 34 (4), 574-604.

Wald, H.S., Davis, S.W., Reis, S.P., Monroe, A.D., & Borkan, J.M. (2009). Reflecting on reflections: Enhancement of medical education curriculum with structured field notes and guided feedback. Academic Medicine, 84 (7), 830-837.

Walker, S.E. (2006). Journal writing as a teaching technique to promote reflection. Journal of Athletic Training, 41 (2), 216-221.

Walmsley, C., & Birkbeck, J. (2006). Personal narrative writing: A method of values reflection for BSW students. Journal of Teaching Social Work, 26 (1-2), 111-126.

Wear, D., Zarconi, J., Garden, R., & Jones. T. Reflection in/and writing: Pedagogy and practice in medical education. Academic Medicine, 87 (5), 603-609.

Wills, K.V., & Clerking, T.A. (2009). Incorporating reflective practice into team simulation projects for improved learning outcomes. Business Communication Quarterly, 72 (2), 221-227.

EnglishGrammarSoft

Short Essay on Benefits of Reading

Essay on Benefits of Reading (1300 Words)

Reading helps our minds grow in ways that we can’t be taught in school or at home. No one is born with an innate love of reading, but everyone has the capacity for literacy, reading, and writing.

Reading is more than just something that you do on the bus or on the train. It’s a way of life. Reading is important because it allows us to escape into another world, see things from someone else’s perspective, and empathize with them.

Essay on Benefits of Reading

1 – what is reading.

Reading is the act of decoding letters on a page to extract information. For many, reading has become an everyday activity.

It might happen in the morning when you read your daily news before breakfast, in the evening when you read your favorite blog before bed, or even during the lunch break at work when you catch up on your phone for just five minutes.

For most people, it’s hard to imagine life without reading. However, not everyone can read. Around 15% of the world’s population has some form of learning disability that prevents them from being able to read. This means that they cannot interpret words and sentences on paper or digital screens.

Reading is one of the most popular hobbies in America, with nearly three-quarters of adults reading at least one book per year. Reading can take many forms, from novels to comics to magazines to blogs. It can be done privately or shared with friends.

Reading is good for the mind and body. Research shows that reading can reduce stress, improve sleep quality, promote empathy, and even increase lifespan by as much as two years!

2 – Importance of reading

The first thing to know about reading is that it’s not something that you should force your students to do. Reading should be something you engage them in, not something you force them to do.

Let them enjoy reading for what it is — something enjoyable and entertaining at the same time. Engaging students will help them get more out of reading and will set the stage for future academic success.

As an added bonus, you will both get more out of reading as a teacher and as a student. Empathy Reading opens up your mind to a whole new world. It can be uncomfortable at first, but remember to give them the tools to read the material. Not everyone is great at reading; let them know that you’re willing to help them along the way.

It’s important to read. It’s not some new-fangled, modern idea that everyone is championing, but rather a human instinct that has been with us since the beginning of time. Books are more than just storytellers — they offer understanding and insight into different cultures, languages, ages, genders, classes, ideologies.

Here are some of the many reasons why reading is important:

  • Reading is one of the most valuable skills anyone can have. It’s also one of the best ways to escape from reality and find yourself in a whole new world.
  • Reading is valuable for children’s development because it helps them learn different things quickly.
  • Reading improves your vocabulary which makes it easier for you to understand new words when you see them in your environment.
  • Reading is not only an activity for passing time or entertainment; it can be a way to learn about yourself and the world around you.
  • Reading is not only fun, but it can be educational, therapeutic, and even life-changing. When you get into a book, you get to know the characters on an emotional level, get lost in their stories, and experience what they’re feeling.

3 – The benefits of reading

Reading is the best way to learn new things, broaden your knowledge, and find inspiration. It also stimulates your brain.

Reading can help you keep your mind sharp and be in control of it. Reading in different genres helps you develop different skills in different ways.

People read to develop their vocabulary, expand their imagination, and to broaden their knowledge.

Reading opens up more doors than people may realize, so it should be a priority for everyone– whether you’re a preteen or an adult.

Reading helps people to become better thinkers and is the key to unlocking people’s minds.

4 – How to develop reading habit

Make sure you get some quiet time every day to read. If you have a regular day at work or school, read on your lunch breaks or after work. Make reading part of your daily routine.

Turn off all distractions when you’re reading, and find a comfortable spot to sit. Do you always have the TV on while you eat? Try turning off the TV, but continuing to watch it when you read.

Binge on your favorite authors. Choose a genre that you’re interested in and read everything written by that author. Then find another author and binge on their books as well. Go back to the beginning of that author’s series and read all of the books in that series.

Read also: How to avoid distractions while reading?

5 – Tips for Better Reading

Reading is a time-honored tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation. It’s believed that reading can improve your vocabulary, grammar, and spelling, as well as your comprehension skills.

Here are some tips for better reading:-

  • Know why you want to read. What are you getting out of reading? What are you looking for? If reading isn’t motivating enough for you, make reading something else. It’s okay to do something else.
  • Pick the right genre. Reading is fun, but it can also be a chore. That’s because our minds can be easily distracted. If you pick the wrong genre for you, you could end up reading to the point of exhaustion. But on the other hand, if you pick the right genre for you, you might learn new things, or get to know different characters better. Some genres include thrillers, romance novels, mysteries, science fiction, and even picture books. Choose the genre that works for you and read.
  • Read aloud to yourself. Listening to yourself reading is a great way to improve your skills. You can also do this if you are reading in a public space. You will help yourself realize when you read words wrong or catch on to grammar and sentence structure.
  • Never stop reading. If it’s not interesting for you, you’re going to get bored very fast. Just keep reading. There’s no need to read only what interests you; at the same time, you can’t read everything.
  • If you find yourself stuck in a book, don’t force yourself to finish it. If you don’t care for it, set it aside and come back to it later. You can only read a book or magazine a certain number of times before you might start to lose interest.

6 – How to read more

The first thing you can do is start reading more. Whether you want to read on an e-reader or a traditional book, the basic rules are the same:

  • Find the tpocs that are interesting.
  • Start with your topic of interest.
  • Listening to audiobooks will give you a great opportunity to step away from distractions and enjoy a book that you wouldn’t have the time or patience to read on your own. Audiobooks have been my best friend during the work week. Whether I’m commuting or heading out for a run, I’ve found that listening to a book or an audiobook on my commute helps me to listen and do both of those things at once.

Read also: Reading skills (types and strategies)

7 – Conclusion

Reading is something that everyone should do, so be sure to give it a try. There is no other form of education or experience that will give you more life knowledge than reading.

The benefits of reading are far-reaching. Reading can improve your vocabulary, brain function, and emotional intelligence. In addition, it can provide valuable insight into other cultures and worlds.

Short Essay on Benefits of Reading

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essay on the benefits of writing

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Messy old letters in a pile

We know there are many benefits to writing by hand – in a digital world we risk losing them

Handwriting makes us better writers, free of the suggestions of spelling and grammar apps, and it represents something of our personalities

R ecently, I found a letter my mum had written me years ago when she was on holidays in Vietnam. The paper is thin and ratty on the edges, but the handwriting and the turn of phrase is unforgettably hers. In looping, cursive black ink, she has described pages and pages of wondrous observations about her travels, immediately transporting me to another place and another time. If this had been sent as an email, it might have been lost in the endless updating of laptops and operating systems. But because it was a letter, I added it to a box in the cupboard some years ago, knowing I would want to read it again and again and again.

Letters like these become even more valuable after someone dies, when you go hunting for a record of their voice. And knowing that the person held a pen to write the words elevates the correspondence far beyond something sent via phone or computer. But it is not just the words they write or the expressions they use; it is also the very particular form their lettering takes. I can recognise the bulbous, slightly rounded N that my mum always used, remembering all those times I tried to forge her signature and failed dismally. Her handwriting, like that of my dad’s and of my grandparents, was distinctive, as much their signature as their name.

I rarely receive letters these days, and write them even less. I write almost entirely on a laptop and am lucky if I scribble out a barely legible shopping list (and even they are often typed on my phone these days). But when I was at school, in an era predating digital technology, we wrote everything by hand. We sat for our pen licence and, if we failed, had to keep using pencils until we could form our letters legibly and on the line. Now many children are spending much of their day on computers, and much of their learning is being done not with a pencil but with a keyboard.

It may be easier for students to write on a keyboard, and many enjoy being able to correct their work immediately and learn from spelling and grammar apps when their sentences do not take the suggested form, but I fear we may be losing something. When I am not working as a writer, I run writing workshops in schools. It used to be that students would panic if they made a mistake when handwriting and then use whiteout to make changes as they went, and I would try to encourage them just to cross it out and keep going, telling them it was their first draft. Now, in most of the workshops I run, many students are working directly on to computers, unless I give them planning sheets that they have to do by hand.

I met a year 6 boy whose writing was as neat as a typeset page. He told me that at the country primary school he had gone to before he moved, the students all had to sit for their pen licence, and that most days they spent hours writing by hand. What struck me about this, aside from the fact that I was more drawn to his story because I could read it easily, was that in comparison to so many students typing on a keyboard, I could see where he had crossed out mistakes and fixed them. And most importantly his sentences were not in the dictated form of a grammar app but, rather, an expression of his own. Imperfect, incomplete, rambling and sometimes lyrical. Amazingly, he had found his own voice, and that was almost impossible to teach in a creative writing exercise.

We know there are many benefits to writing by hand. We know that it aids and shapes creativity. We know that it improves memory. We know that taking notes by hand rather than on a computer allows us to process the information more deeply. And we know that handwriting is a tool to represent personality. My own is messy and scribbled, a sort of shorthand that can’t be scrawled fast enough sometimes when my head is full of ideas.

If we continue on this path of primarily using keyboards to write, I also wonder how we will archive our lives for the future. Perhaps others are more organised than I am, but sadly I haven’t kept precious emails sent to me from parents, friends, and lovers, but letters are treasured in my house. From the notes passed back and forth in high school to the first attempts at declarations of love, to the sweet cards my children made me when they were young, I can trace my history through the handwriting of others and remember moments in my life that I had long forgotten.

  • English and creative writing

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