Some Thoughts on Writing

by Raymund Tamayo

Many people like to read, but only a few enjoy writing. That’s probably because most of our writing experiences have centered on undesirable projects, such as formal theme papers in school.

And unlike reading a book, there’s no such thing as “skimming” your writing. There are no shortcuts to writing.

Another reason why people are unwilling to write is that they’re afraid someone else is going to read what they’ve written. When you get past writing for a grade in school, you develop a self-consciousness. Maybe you can’t get past the idea that someone is going to “grade” you for spelling and grammar. Maybe you’re afraid someone will criticize, or worse, laugh at what you’ve written, especially when it is not supposed to be funny.

So you rarely write and you miss out on one of the greatest forms of communication and self-expression.

Here’s a fact: when you express yourself through writing, you reveal more about yourself than you ever could by talking, even if you aren’t writing about yourself.

Writing forces you to choose your words more carefully because it forces you to think more deeply.

Friends, here’s a suggestion: I encourage you to do personal writing – a.k.a. journaling – that may never be read by another soul (okay, the pressure’s off).

An easy way to start is to buy a notebook and begin jotting down your feelings about stuff. Write down the details of your life, write how are they affecting you. Don’t worry about grammar or spelling. Just write.

Write how you feel about the people in your life. Write poetry. Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t matter if it rhymes or not.

Just start by giving a short time for a few days each week to jot down your thoughts. Go from there until it becomes a habit, then you will start to write for longer periods of time. Believe me, you will be amazed by the results.