Writing is a creative activity and it takes a lot of thought, hard work, and most of all, imagination. But there are a lot of things we do in life that prepare us or aid us in other things. Writing is one of those things. With the research and growing we do as writers and readers, we can do anything. However, there are plenty of things we do in real life that help us with our writing.
Writing is so much like teaching. You, as the writer, is like the teacher. You’re teaching your readers and your characters a plethora of things. These things can be real life skills, life lessons, or simply something fictional.
Research
No matter whether you outline or not and no matter what genre you write in, most likely you’ll have to do some research. Even if you’re writing a fictional story, there’s always a little bit of truth to some of it. Whether your readers know it or not, they’re learning something and you’re teaching yourself a little something as well.
If you’re writing nonfiction like writing craft or a biography, then a lot of research goes into writing that. Readers read those genres because they want to learn.
Life Skills
What are some things we learn in English class at school? We learn how to write essays – grammar, punctuation, pacing, etc. We also learn how to read and analyze stories. At the time, it’s not a skill I thought I would ever need. I mean, I just want to read stories and enjoy them, you know? However, as a writer, reading is something that definitely helps to learn what other writers have done.
We also learn to critique and take feedback. Giving feedback isn’t easy but receiving it is even harder. We learn to get some thick skin and by giving feedback to others, you learn a lot about yourself as well.
Life Lessons
We learn a lot from writing and reading. I know reading books such as Harry Potter and The Lord of The Rings has taught me a lot. Each character has a purpose, a will of life, and the realistic themes of the overall books are true to life that we can all relate to. We’ve learned from our favorite characters and will remember it forever.
Overall, writing is like teaching. You as the writer teach yourself a lot and your readers will learn alongside you.
What are some ways writing reminds you of teaching? Does it remind you of anything else? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. If you liked this post, please share it around.
Patreon | Fiverr | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | GoodReads | Double Jump
