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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

A special thanks to AmEnglish for their invaluable support in helping us put together these guidelines. Their expertise in clear and concise communication has been instrumental in creating this resource.

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