10 Benefits of Creative Writing

Something we bonded over right away was our love for creative writing. Our regular readers know that every month we release at least one chapter of The Misadventures of Johan O’Malley, our YA WIP. Creative writing is a stress reliever, and it allows us to have fun/goof around together. While we hope to be published authors one day, we also write because we enjoy it.

You don’t have to want to become an author to do creative writing on your own. There are many benefits to writing that don’t have to do with making it a career choice. Below, check out the benefits of creative writing and why we believe more people should try it. Do you like to write? Tell us about it in the comments.

1. Imagination

Creative writing helps with your imagination. There are no constraints, allowing the writer to make all the choices. Literally anything can happen in your writing. You get to choose the length of the story, the setting, the characters and the plot. And the best part, you get to choose if anyone ever sees it. Creative writing allows us to think big in a way we couldn’t do with an audience. Because of writing during our personal time, we found ourselves pushed to be more imaginative in other daily activities.

2. Stress Relief

Creative writing can also help relieve stress. Being stressed or burnt out can be tough, especially when you don’t have the proper tools to deal with it. For us, creative writing is a way for us to channel that stress by putting it on paper. When we write, we’re sucked into a world of our creation and can forget about the tension. It’s a self-care tool.

3. To Unwind

It’s a good active way to unwind. It’s sort of like turning off your inhibitions without turning off your mind. In other words, you can think freely but don’t have to censor your thoughts like you normally do when speaking with people. It’s a way to channel all your thoughts and feelings by putting them into a story.

4. Develop a Voice

Writing helps you develop your own voice. While it doesn’t happen overnight, creative writers get to see their creations come to life. Think of your favorite author and how their writing has a unique voice that you could easily spot. With some practice and time, most writers develop their own voice based on their unique perspective on life.

5. Build Confidence

Not only can it build confidence with writing ability, but it can also improve confidence in other areas of your life. We already said that creative writing helps develop your voice, but it can do that off the page as well. Being able to complete a story, no matter how long, gives people a sense of accomplishment. That sense of accomplishment can translate into other areas where you need confidence, whether it’s at work or personally. You achieved something not everyone can do, which should make you feel great, even if you chose to keep your story to yourself.

6. Creative Problem Solving

Creative writing may help you find out how you really feel about a situation. If you need a solution to a problem, write about it, whether it’s creative fiction or nonfiction. It’s possible you’ll project your own feeling into your writing, whether it’s intentional or not. Let your writing inspire new possibilities and allow you to keep an open mind. You may surprise yourself.

7. Escape Reality

If you need an escape from everyday life, writing is the perfect way to do so. You get to make all the decisions from the world building to the characters. It’s a way to keep your mind active, instead of just watching TV or a movie. Everyone wants to escape reality at some point, whether it’s because of a bad day or out of boredom. By escaping for a while, it could actually tell you want you want out of life/what’s missing.

8. Empathy

Creating your own world can help improve empathy, especially for children. They get to know their characters and understand people who might be different from them. It’s good for kids and adults to read fiction as well because it helps improve empathy and can challenge you to get out of your comfort zone. Creative writing requires are certain level of empathy to create characters. Without it, every character out there would be a psychopath.

9. Written Communications Skills

Creative writing can help improve any type of writing, even technical. Even though creative writing has to have a strong plot and compelling characters, you can’t ignore grammar, style, tense etc. These are things you need in other types of writing, including technical and academic. It may not be the most fun aspect, but mastering your craft makes you a better written communicator overall.

10. Pure Enjoyment

We recommend creative writing because it’s fun! We wouldn’t be us without it. Doing something for the pure enjoyment should be a priority for more people. You don’t have to be the best or most productive. Write for the simple pleasure of having a great time.