by Paula Geister

Created on: December 02, 2008

Creative writing comes in many forms and people write for many reasons. I happen to believe everyone is creative in some area of life and expressing oneself creatively by writing always has benefits on one's mind.

When indulging in creative writing, my personal experience is that I find value in the organization of thoughts. It settles me inside my head to know I've produced a piece of writing that makes sense as well as potentially informing, inspiring or entertaining the reader. I also find that when I've written something that creates order, I sense accomplishment in the area of writing. The world thrives on order and to create something that brings order to my thoughts is of great value to me. I sense that I've contributed something good.

Another benefit on one's mind when writing creatively is the sense that one has expressed one's own feelings or opinions. Everyone needs to be heard and expressing oneself through writing is a way to lend a sense of permanence to those expressions. Words spoken are often quickly spent and sometimes offered without thought, but the written word allows for editing. It allows us to record what we feel and think and then think the process through as in following a recipe. First we add this, then that. Then we blend our thoughts together and come up with a finished product that can nourish the reader. For better or worse, our creative expression is left for posterity. Another person reading our expressions gives us the sense of being heard and, we hope, understood.

Closely related to the previous benefit is the idea that while I write, I'm sorting out my true thoughts and feelings. I'm taking information, applying it to my own experience and laying it out for others to read. Sometimes, even as I write, I discover what I think or feel about an issue. This is of great benefit to me. Writing about a topic that challenges my thinking is a way to stretch my mind. I may discover that I had opinions I never realized and can now be more sure of where I stand.

I find that when I write creatively, another benefit is that I use my senses more freely. The turning of a phrase so that someone will actually see, taste, feel and hear what I've experienced is a joy to me. If I am able to write about snow so that you hear it crunching under my feet or feel it land on your eyelashes as soft as down, I've created a benefit for both of us. My senses and yours are stimulated. Stimulating my senses expands my mind to use simile and metaphor more freely. These are building blocks of creative writing and help add beauty to the writing.

Perhaps the benefit of creative writing I enjoy the most is the process itself. While seeing my writing in print is of great value, I have hardly ever written something and not found it wanting in some way after its publication. I'm a constant editor. But the process of writing keeps me sharp. I must always work to find the right words, keep my thoughts organized and be sure to write to a topic without straying. When I discipline myself to sit at the keyboard, my mind comes to life and with only twenty-six different letters of the alphabet, I can create a piece from which the reader will take away something of value.

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