Anyone can write.

It takes practice, sure, but then again, so does playing a musical instrument or a sport. Just because you might not be selling out concert halls or joining an Olympic team, does that mean you shouldn’t be doing those activities at all? What makes writing any different?

There are many kinds of writers that come to us at FADE IN: to be part of our family of creatives. Some want to produce the film they are writing or publish the novel that they are working on. Others come to take a breath away from the day-to-day, mundane routine of reality.

But all of them, all of them, attest to the fact that writing stories has made their lives better both on and off the paper.

Here are 7 surprising ways that writing makes your life better!

1. You clear up your thoughts
When you jot stuff down on paper – anything you’re thinking, something that happened to you today or a to-do list – you are inadvertently clearing some space in your head. Your brain is not for storage, it’s for processing; empty the storage pile so you can start processing the information. Here’s a David Allen TED talk about it and a blog article I wrote to help you get started.

2. You dilute your fears
If you think you’re not afraid of anything; you’d be lying to yourself. Everyone has fears, and through writing, you can discover what those fears are. Put them on fictional characters, and they become silly. In all cases, having your fears on paper will help you conquer them.

3. You figure out what you want, when and how
This one happens by accident. Even when you do know what you want, the goals within your goals are constantly changing. If you don’t write them down, these goals are just thoughts and dreams, instead of concrete steps towards something bigger. Yes, even through fiction.

4. You understand yourself better…
Because you ask yourself questions, demand something greater and you can visually see your own growth.

5. …Which helps you understand others
It’s called being “wise.” When you are focused on how fictional characters interact with others and you’re obsessed with imaginary relationships, you get a hell of a lot better at the real ones.

6. You’re faster and more productive at “non-creative” stuff
Yup. The tools of writing cross over to the world of non-fiction. When you write a lot, you get faster at busting out presentations, emails and proposals. And the content is better on the first-go.

7. You communicate better and on a personal level
We live in a world full of digital communication tools, and yet, we suck at expressing ourselves. Unless you’re a writer. Self-expression comes a heck of a lot easier… and you start to surround yourself with other, like-minded folks.

Have you met FADE IN:?
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Write here: info@fadeinbeirut.com