Imagine a beach setting for a moment; picture in your mind what the beach looks like – the color of the water and the sand, the palm trees just off the beach proper, twisting in the gentle breeze coming in off the sea. Perhaps fishermen are offshore in their boats casting nets, looking for a haul; maybe sunbathers and swimmers are relaxing beside a tropical beach resort. However you picture this beach in your mind, take a moment and reflect on your creation. Barring some sort of trauma, or if you, like Anakin Skywalker simply loathe beaches for the sand that gets everywhere, chances are the beach you created in your mind’s eye engendered feelings of wistfulness.
The beach you created evoked deep feelings of longing to actually be there, because what your imagination came up with was the envisioning of a place you, in that moment, wanted to be.
As a journalism student by trade, and a writer by hobby, many people have asked me how I find the energy to write, as though writing were a hidden power locked away in the labyrinthian recesses of our soul somewhere. So many people proclaim an inability to write, yet most have never even deigned to pick up a pen and attempt it. There exists in some people an inherent fear of embarrassment or shame over attempting to write something, as if the mere act of putting pen to paper (or hands to a keyboard, in modern parlance) would initiate a cascade of mockery from those that read it. The sad truth is that many people have the gift within them but are too afraid to unlock it and let it out of their soul.
I often tell people that ask that there is no great secret to learning how to write, other than taking the time to practice, i.e. engaging in writing. Any author or journalist worth their salt would give the same advice to anyone aspiring to the career field; only through constant writing does the author, novelist or poet learn to hone their craft and improve their abilities. The lesson I wish to impart, though, revolves not around the craft of writing, nor on a person’s talent therein; rather, I want to speak on the merit of using writing as a tool for finding personal fulfillment, happiness, and as a healthy emotional outlet. In an age where the rigors of life load us down with stress, using writing as an outlet to help us cope with the daily grind can be an invaluable tool.
Creative Writing: Insight into the Soul
Words cannot express the joy of letting your imagination run wild with creative writing. The imagination is like a muscle in your mind; if you never use it, it will atrophy and wither over time. But once you begin to cultivate that muscle and allow it to flourish, the possibilities are truly limitless. The only rule in creative writing, by my estimation, is that there are no rules in creative writing; literally anywhere you desire to take your writing, you can go. Do you dream of writing limericks and sonnets about the woodland area near your home? Go nuts! Do you dare create a fantasy world where mystical beasts roam the land, requiring the bravery of gallant knights and dashing rogues to defeat them? Go for it! Creativity is such that anything you imagine can become possible in writing, so much so that you become the creator of your own little worlds, dictating the rules over how your characters lead their lives.
Many people may look at creative writing as an innocent but ultimately pointless exercise in wasting time, but I say they are wrong. Having the freedom of thought to let your imagination run wild and create a vivid world full of interesting characters and dramatic scenes, there is no better outlet for creative energy and passion. Using novels and novellas, poetry, short stories and other forms of creative writing are an amazing way to express yourself and explore your own emotional and mental health. Sometimes we lack the agency in life to tackle some of the biggest challenges that weigh us down, but using writing to escape to a place where we are in control of all destiny can be such an emotionally gratifying experience. It is free real estate in the mind!
Journaling: Insight into the Mind
For those among us who lack the desire to engage in the creative forms of writing, might I suggest journaling as a healthy alternative to other styles? Journaling is little more than using your own personal experiences as fuel for writing; anyone can journal, as it takes virtually no effort more than recollection and the time to sit down and type or write. But for such a low-key investment, journaling can pay huge dividends both as a means of creating another emotional outlet for us, but also for creating a blueprint on how to tackle problems that challenge us in our daily lives. People have been successfully using journals as part of budgeting out their finances, keeping track of their diets, and working out personal problems with their friends or romantic partners. Sometimes, it boils down to little more than giving yourself a personal itinerary of things you have done wrong, so as to remember not to do them again.
Try this experiment over the next thirty days, and see for yourself whether or not journaling can become a tool for helping to overcome problems and challenges you face: take one issue that you are struggling with and commit to writing about it for the next month. Even if you only write to yourself that you had no problems that particular day, just take note of any time you struggle with this particular issue – what you did during the day that triggered it, how you reacted, whether or not the actions you took made your situation better or worse. I would wager to you that after a month of journaling about your problem, you will have unexpectedly collected a repository of information that could help you make lasting changes to your daily routine that would not only help confront the challenge you face, but could also be applied to other challenges as well.
Personal Correspondence: Insight into the Heart
Often times, when we consider writing as a tool, we think of creative writing or journaling as the two primary methods of expressing ourselves. There is a way in which we use writing quite frequently that counts for just as much, however, and that is our personal correspondence. Whenever we reach out to people on social media, through email, or even through writing old-fashioned letters sent out through so-called snail mail, we are using our talent for writing. That talent can be used to reach out and connected with friends, family and loved ones; it can be used to express your views and opinions to the editors of your local newspaper; and it can spread your opinions online throughout the internet on message boards and on social media. Often times, people lack the awareness of just how much writing they do when social media is involved, and it can make the tool an excellent way to connect with people and make your life all the better for it.
