Why Writing is Important.

Written By: Sierra Cassity

Writing is a cognitive function. Meaning, it helps our brains process information, pay attention, and remember.

Writing is also a social function. A different way of communicating.

Writing is a visual representation of language and a way of sorting information.

Writing spans across all areas of life. Not just with a good fiction book, we see writing in our everyday lives. From referencing laws, to-do lists, emails, and this blog. I am using the written word to tell you why the written word is important.

A lot of the time we don't recognize the large scale impact that writing has on our society. When we are looking at ancient civilizations we can understand them through their own words. Writing connects us to our past as a civilization.

In more modern days I have heard writing and English degrees get scoffed at and called “barista degrees”. And while for a lot of us that may be true, especially in a world full of blue collar jobs and it being so difficult to break into the writing industry, someone will always need a coffee and if it pays the bills while we make time to write in the spaces between social and professional life, that’s good enough for me.

Writing is everywhere and everyone does it. It is unavoidable in life. Literacy, being able to read the writing others are putting out, even if it is just to be able to sign a contract with full understanding, is just as important as being able to write.

References:

Cognitive skills: What they are, why they matter, and how they’re used. Coursera. (n.d.). https://www.coursera.org/articles/cognitive-skills

The significance of the written word. Treasures of the McDonald Collection - Special Collections & Archives Research Center. (n.d.). https://scarc.library.oregonstate.edu/omeka/exhibits/show/mcdonald/writing/significance#:~:text=Writing%20has%20allowed%20for%20the,information%20on%20a%20global%20level.