5 Things Being a Writer Has Taught Me

Writing isn’t just a hobby—it’s a way of living. I’m going on my tenth year of being a writer. To be honest, it started off as fun and games, but soon became something that meant so much more.

In this blog post, I’ll be going over five things being a writer has taught me that have helped me not only grow as a writer, but as a person.

Writing takes patience and hard work. And I mean, a lot of it.

When I first started off writing, it was a hobby to me. I liked reading and I liked replicating the stories that were whirling around in my mind and setting them down on paper. I liked making fictional friends. I liked creating worlds where girls could turn into dragons and spy on each other using “farseeing balls” (yes, I stole that idea from The Dragon Princess by E.D. Baker. I'm sorry. :P).

And honestly, the words I wrote were a mess. A big mess of uncapitalized words (I thought rough drafts could be as messy as possible so I intentionally made them as such), misplaced punctuation, and cliche plots that were borrowed quite conveniently from my favorite books.

But something happened later on in my life. Writing got harder. Getting words on the page took more than blood, sweat, and tears. I even considered quitting writing more than once. And funny story, I did stop writing for around two days, declaring myself not a writer, until I realized I couldn’t do anything else. Lesson learned.

But I didn’t—unless you count those two days. I rolled up my sleeves and kept writing through those horrible short stories, through the times where writing was so difficult I wanted to cry (I think I did, once or twice). And no, I didn’t even start a novel—I just wrote a bunch of short stories.

As a writer, and in real life, situations will require you to be patient with yourself and work hard, persevering even when you don’t feel like it.

Being a writer has helped me notice and describe the little things around me.

As a writer, I have to be there to notice every little detail in order to describe it to readers. Whether it’s the smell wafting through the air at a local bakery, dewdrops on petals in the morning, or the appearance of a tiny bookstore down the street, writing has helped me notice the things God has placed in my life and describe them well. This skill definitely comes in handy in real life, whether I’ve noticed something suspicious or need to describe something to someone with missing senses.

Writing is a way to reach people.

There’s something about writing that cultivates a servant mindset—at least if you’re like me. There’s something refreshing about being able to write something for the joy of writing it, while at the same time using it as a tool to serve others. As a writer, you can write an amazing masterpiece, but if there’s no one around to read it, all your hard work would be a waste. That’s exactly how I feel about it. Writing is about serving readers and having joy in doing so.

Writing, for me especially, paves a path to get my Biblical worldviews and love of storytelling across to readers, sometimes without them even knowing it. As a writer, I’m constantly thinking about “what would this audience like?” or “would this reader see this plot twist coming?”

These questions in turn challenge me to think of the reader, not me, the writer. And selflessness is always good. ;)

I’ve learned to serve God through my writing.

Growing up, I wouldn’t have believed that God placed writing assignments in my life because this was a gift He had given me—but now I do. I also would have never believed that I could actually serve God through my writing.

No, this doesn’t mean all my works are perfect and shining high like diamonds because I believe it’s a God-given gift—everything I write will be tainted by sin. But I believe writing has given me a platform, no matter how small, to reflect God’s glory to my audience and show them His truths.

Writing has helped me understand people more.

Yes, for those who know—I’m an introvert. I prefer to observe people rather than interact with them, just like I’d much rather hide in a corner of a party with a book instead of socializing (I really need to work on that XD).

But through my characters, I’ve learned to understand people’s reactions, emotions, and personal stories—which in time have taught me to sympathize with them more, even people I haven’t met or don’t know very well. God gives us all value—and sometimes I honestly get so caught up in myself that I forget that the people around me have stories—that they’re worth more to God than all the fictional galaxies in the universe.

That wraps up this blog post! If you’re a writer, what has being a writer taught you about life? How have you become a better person because of it?