In the exam room, student Xiao Ming overcame numerous challenges but was stumped by a trivial essay topic, scratching his head in frustration, racking his brain, and ultimately cobbling together 800 words. He let out a long sigh and cursed inwardly: “What’s the point of writing this nonsense?”
I wonder if this scene is familiar to everyone. From a young age, we have been taught to write more, yet many people, like me, have studied for many years without understanding why we should write, or even if we understand the value of writing, we cannot confidently complete an article that is presentable. Every time we vow to create a masterpiece that shakes the heavens and moves the spirits, or when we must submit a course report as the deadline approaches, we always find it hard to start. It seems we have been suffering from the torment of writing since childhood. The purpose of this article is to help everyone break free from the shackles of writing difficulties, overcome the anxiety of not daring to put pen to paper, and write articles smoothly.
The Intrinsic Value of Writing#
To write a good article, we must first understand why we write, that is, what value writing holds for us. This article divides the value of writing into intrinsic and extrinsic values. As we learned in philosophy class, when encountering a problem, we first analyze the internal causes; the same applies here, so let’s first discuss the intrinsic value of writing.
Writing is a Process of Self-Reflection#
Writing is a process of dialogue with oneself and delving into one’s inner self. Through writing, we can visualize complex emotions and chaotic thoughts, gradually clarifying our inner world. In daily life, many of our emotions and thoughts are buried deep within, often unnoticed even by ourselves. However, during the writing process, these abstract feelings are transformed into concrete words, helping us organize our chaotic minds into a coherent order. When learning a particular subject, writing a study note can help us organize the knowledge framework and identify key points and difficulties; when feeling anxious and confused, writing an essay to record our current dilemmas can help uncover the root causes of our confusion; after a project concludes, writing a review document to record gains and losses can help us better derive experiences.
Writing is a Process of Thinking Training#
Writing is a deep cognitive activity and an effective way to train logic and exercise thinking. Through writing, we can organize our thoughts, clarify our viewpoints, cultivate critical thinking, and enhance our overall cognitive abilities. Writing helps structure our thoughts, breaking down complex issues into multiple levels and forming logical chains, thereby enhancing the structure of knowledge; writing helps improve language expression skills, as we must choose more precise and expressive words to ensure reader comprehension, strengthening our command of language; writing helps reinforce logical and critical thinking, as when writing argumentative essays, we need to clearly express our viewpoints and provide evidence, exercising our reasoning abilities while continuously evaluating whether our arguments have flaws or whether our evidence is insufficient, thus training our critical thinking.
Writing is an Effective Means of Emotional Healing#
Writing is a tool for healing the soul, helping us release repressed emotions, sort through inner confusion, and gradually find the strength to grow from pain. Unlike other emotional healing methods, writing is completely private and free, allowing us to focus entirely on self-healing and growth without worrying about external judgments. By expressing repressed emotions through writing, we can avoid emotional outbursts or the negative psychological effects of repression; by visualizing chaotic emotions and thoughts through writing, we can better understand our inner needs; by objectively recording our painful experiences through writing, we can critically examine our past and find the motivation to move forward.
The Extrinsic Value of Writing#
Having discussed the intrinsic value of writing, let’s now talk about its extrinsic value.
Writing is a Means of Communication#
Writing is the most efficient way to convey information. The efficiency of obtaining information through text is significantly higher than through images and sounds. Additionally, the materials in writing undergo structured processing, making the logical relationships clearer and eliminating redundant content, resulting in concise and refined content that further enhances the efficiency of acquiring information through articles. In the information age, even as media forms continue to diversify, with images, videos, audio, and even virtual reality content occupying a large space in people's information lives, people still need to read articles to efficiently learn content and acquire knowledge, whether it’s learning knowledge during study or communicating plans at work, both rely on text and writing.
Writing is an Important Means of Gaining Influence#
In the internet age, writing is an important means of gaining influence. Through writing, individuals can widely disseminate their thoughts and viewpoints, influencing people from different backgrounds, cultures, and statuses. Writing allows individuals to showcase their knowledge and depth of thought, establishing emotional and intellectual connections with readers and expanding personal influence. In the era of traffic, mastering writing helps create resonance and appeal, shaping public discourse and strengthening the interaction between individuals and society. In the early days of the internet, authors who created quality knowledge content in forums gained reputation and wealth; in the era of self-media, viral videos often propel newcomers to fame. Although video has replaced text as the mainstream medium, the content behind videos relies on excellent copywriting, which also requires sufficient writing skills.
Reasons for Writing Difficulties#
Recognizing the value of writing, we begin to write; however, writing is not an easy task. I believe most readers can relate—either struggling to produce a single word or starting off with inspiration only to veer off-topic after a few sentences, or writing extensively only to feel it is unpresentable upon review, wishing to hit the backspace key and delete everything to start over. Why is writing so difficult?
Disorganized Thoughts, Hard to Find a Starting Point#
Writing requires organizing scattered thoughts in our minds into logically clear and well-structured content. However, in the early stages of writing, we often face the problem of disorganized thoughts, with many related or unrelated ideas flooding into our brains like a tide, making it hard to determine which is the most suitable starting point, leading to indecision and ultimately procrastination.
Insufficient Knowledge and Skills#
Writing requires language expression skills, logical thinking abilities, and relevant knowledge reserves. However, for many people, these abilities may be lacking, resulting in difficulties in organizing content, wording, or structuring arrangements.
Perfectionism#
Many people pursue "perfection" in writing, hoping every sentence can precisely express their thoughts, be beautifully worded, and have an impeccable structure. However, such high expectations often bring pressure, causing the writer to feel daunted at the start or to constantly overturn their work during the process, making it hard to progress.
Some Writing Suggestions#
Break It Down#
When facing complex topics or large writing tasks, do not attempt to complete everything at once. Break down the main topic into several smaller questions or tasks and complete them step by step. By simplifying the complexity, you can effectively reduce the difficulty of writing. For instance, in writing this article, I first outlined five sections: "Background," "The Value of Writing," "Reasons for Writing Difficulties," and "Some Writing Suggestions," then expanded each section into sub-parts, thus dividing the entire article into chunks, writing one chunk each day, and finally connecting them into a complete article.
Read and Imitate#
Excellent writing skills are built on extensive reading. By reading works of different styles and fields, you can absorb the language expressions and thinking methods of outstanding writers. During the reading process, try to imitate the structure, expression methods, and even language styles of the articles.
Be Good at Accumulating#
Writing requires inspiration, and inspiration comes from life, observation, and accumulation. Pay attention to recording noteworthy events, impressive sentences, and sudden writing inspirations; these materials will become powerful aids when writing.
Accept Imperfection#
Writing is a process of continuous revision and improvement; it is impossible to achieve perfection from the start. If you overly pursue the perfection of the first draft, you may fall into procrastination or abandonment. Accepting the imperfection of the first draft can make writing more efficient. Do not set a goal of "writing a good article" at the beginning; instead, tell yourself "just write it down first, then revise." After completing the first draft, optimize the content through revisions and adjustments. Remember, "A good article is not written; it is revised."
Practice Regularly#
Writing is a skill that can only be improved through continuous practice. Develop a habit of writing regularly, whether it’s keeping a diary, writing essays, or formal articles; this will help you accumulate experience and gradually enhance your writing ability.
Make Good Use of Tools#
The emergence of large language models, led by GPT, has greatly reduced the difficulty of writing. Whether you lack writing inspiration, have an outline but lack details, or need arguments, you can use these AI tools, just like in this article, to help produce better articles.
“Feeling shallow on paper, true understanding requires practice.” To write a good article, the most important thing is to bravely take the first step. I hope this article can inspire readers and help everyone fasten the first button of writing.