writing journey essay

writing journey essay

The Importance of Keeping a Writing Journey Essay

1. Reflecting on Personal Growth

There are many times in life when we must take stock of who we are, what we have accomplished, and how that will affect our future. Through this journey that is our writing career, I have learned many things about myself and the world around me. Writing in its many forms is a fundamental skill which, for me, has provided an overwhelming sense of self-awareness. The mediation of thought between pen and paper, writing and typing, writing and speaking is a practice that has helped me to grow. I’ve found that it is easier to convey myself through the written word rather than speech, but in doing so, my speech became more descriptive and far less vague. Over time, the act of refining ideas and then putting them into context has helped me to become a more articulate and thoughtful person. When I was younger, it was often said by teachers that I had a great deal of potential, but I did not apply myself. It was something that I had agreed with, but had not given much thought. Writing essays and assignments that in old age would lead to this journey essay was often a chore that was done the night before, or the period of time in which it was scribed could easily be compared to pulling teeth. But the turning point for me was during my final two years of school. I had discovered a subject for which I had a great passion for: history. An enthusiastic and intellectual teacher has created an environment in which my attitude to work had changed dramatically. This was the time in which I had discovered that if I applied myself and took pride in my work, it would reflect its value. In the final year of school, due to family matters, I had to spend a great deal of time away from school. At home, I was not provided with an adequate education, so I was forced to educate myself. But this path of self-education had led me to the first realization of the link between higher thought and writing. Despite not being the religious type, I gained enlightenment: that one can’t truly understand something until they can explain it. And it was during this time that I had honed my writing skills. Despite being the only knowledge of my actions, the ability to improve had given me a great sense of accomplishment. And upon receiving results of the highest caliber, it confirmed the connection between hard work, writing, and self-fulfillment.

2. Capturing Milestones and Achievements

In capturing our milestones and achievements, we review our past and present writings, thus able to reminisce and feel proud of what we have done so far. It also serves as an encouragement, knowing that we have been doing fine all this while. We can see whether we have achieved our goals compared to what had been targeted earlier. By doing this, we can self-evaluate our progression and identify what our strengths and weaknesses are. This is useful because next time when we write, we can focus on enhancing our strengths and overcoming our weaknesses. Tracking our growth is fundamental to all; it shows how far we have grown and how far we have to go. Usually, good writing is the one with deep content and expression. The words would be able to reflect the writer’s character and mood at that point in time. It will enable readers to understand and perhaps relate to what is being expressed. Thus, a personal journal would be a good way to track all budding emotions and expression, and it also keeps a record of self-development.

3. Documenting Challenges and Lessons Learned

Documenting challenges and lessons learned—no matter what kind of word counts drive you to it, writing is a difficult and often frustrating task. On the other hand, some writers find it a welcome challenge, and it can be said that polishing the misshapen chronicle of your thoughts into a work of art is one of writing’s chief rewards. Challenge is a constant element of the writing process, and the writer who documents the challenges he faces is more likely to be in touch with himself and the work he is doing. One way to do this is by documenting the lessons you learn. Writing a work that is both a challenge and a pleasure can be frustrating if that work is falling short of your standards. When this happens, it can be difficult to discern what the problem is. I faced this situation while writing this essay and came to the realization that my problem was that I was attempting to complete it in a single sitting. This was making the task more difficult and tiresome than it needed to be. The obvious mistake here would be to force myself to complete the task in a single sitting just to get it over and done with. By writing down this lesson learned, I can now remind myself of it the next time I work on this task, and in doing so, I will be preserving the quality of my work and preventing unnecessary frustration.

4. Inspiring Others with Your Writing Journey

There are various ways to share your writing journey. One option is to keep a blog. Blogging is a very popular medium and can reach a wide audience. It is a good way to express your thoughts in a more informal setting than article or essay writing. Your blog can be specifically about your writing, or it can be a personal blog in which you touch on your writing in addition to other topics. An added bonus of writing a blog is that you can connect with people who comment on your posts. This can form the basis of a mentorship in which a more experienced writer encourages and guides a new writer. The encouragement of others can be a great motivator to continue writing.

It is human nature to want to share our experiences with others. People love to tell stories and to reminisce. Sharing the details of your writing journey can certainly be rewarding for you, but it can also be a learning experience for others. There may be new writers who are struggling to get started, or even seasoned writers who have lost motivation. Sharing the pitfalls, triumphs, and setbacks that you have experienced will let others know that they are not alone. Knowing that someone else has been in the same situation and persevered can be very comforting and motivating.

5. Preserving a Legacy of Writing Accomplishments

When we write, each piece begins a third journey, the journey of creation. This journey is only completed when someone reads the piece that you have written. This is when the knowledge and experience stored in your mind is successfully transferred to someone else’s who gains the ability to use and apply it. This piece, once read, has undertaken its first voyage and is now on its way into someone else’s life. It may have been written for decorative purposes, to be presented or to fulfill a basic requirement. More often than not though, it has been written with the intent to persuade someone to your point of view, to explain an issue to someone in order to foster understanding or convey an idea or opinion, to change someone’s mind about something and maybe it has been written in an attempt to invoke action.