1. It makes you HAPPY!

If you began writing because you love reading and have a desire to write stories then it no doubt brings a hell of a lot of happiness into your life! You should always write for yourself first and foremost. If you get to a stage where you can make money off of your writing then that’s amazing! But it should be seen as an added bonus not a given. Continue to write because of all the times your characters have made you laugh out loud, cry with sadness or simply forget the world for a while…

2. It soothes the SOUL

Writing is a healthy hobby that is the ultimate stress reliever. Writing a story or simply writing your thoughts down will relieve any worry or anxiety currently on your mind. You may find yourself writing hundreds or thousands of words and when you finally pause for breath you may find you’ve forgotten what you were fretting about to begin with!

3) It fulfils a need to EXPRESS YOURSELF

Everyone has something to say in life and writing is a way to explore your emotions, philosophies, morals and questions about the world. And you never know who’s life you might change with your words. Even if just one single person is effected in a positive way by your writing then what more can you ask for?

4) It gives you a TIME OUT

We all need a little break from our every day lives and writing is the perfect way to do that. You can go on adventures, explore your deepest thoughts and feelings or maybe even write an epic romance that makes you sigh contentedly. If you think about it, you’re lucky to be able to create your own little mental holiday and the possibilities are endless!

5) It makes you INTERESTING

Writers are elusive creatures with imaginations that boggle the minds of others. How many times have you been asked “Wow, how did you come up with that?”

You’ve probably had many, many people asking about your writing and what project you’re currently working on etc. You may even have fans amongst friends, family and strangers. How many other people do you know who can say that? Not many, I’d bet!

6) It makes you PROUD

You should be head-spinningly, chest-puffingly proud to take a writing project from start to finish. You have pain-stakingly written, re-written and edited your writing to perfection all because you love it. This is a serious accomplishment! So go an toot your own horn! Go on! Toot it!

7) It opens up a world of PEOPLE

Writers are often eager to help each other out. Blogging, Facebook groups, Twitter, Book Clubs, Writer’s Events all connects you to people with a common interest. Even if you find just one or two people who love to read your work, discuss ideas with you, or swap advice then that’s one or two great people who wouldn’t have been in your life before writing. You never know who you might stumble across online!

8) It forces you out of your COMFORT ZONE

This may be due to attempting challenges like NANWRIMO or trying out new genres that you haven’t tried before! Writing has an endless amount of opportunity in it. From nail-bitingly submitting your work to an agent to taking the self-publishing route challenge these are brave choices that push you out of your comfort zone and only ever serve to make you and your writing stronger.

9) It teaches you to deal with REJECTION

Despite what you might think, rejection is not a bad thing in writing. The sooner you learn that 100% of people are never going to all love your work, the better. Rejection stings like a female dog but my god does it make you grow as a writer! So take that rejection on the chin and say to yourself -so what!? And you’ll find that further rejection becomes easier to deal with and so allows you to grow as a writer and become confident in your work through your own love of it and the other people that love it too!

10) It develops you as a HUMAN BEING

Your writing will change as you will change throughout your life but it will always be a source of comfort, learning and growth. Writing allows you to reflect and look at yourself with a magnifying glass as well as look out at the world and try to capture it in words. And whether you may not always know what you’re trying to say, one day you might pick up that old novel you wrote ten years ago and realise just how far you’ve come.