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The Power Of A Writer

… Mightier Than The Sword…

No one argues the supreme power of writing, when done right of course.

For centuries, writing has recorded history, toppled governments, formed agreements, won hearts and minds… and soothed souls.

For those who can do it well, writing is a gift to educate, influence, enlighten and inspire…

A proficient writer is powerful… Because they acquired so many skills along their journey, skills that are in high demand.

These include:

  • Researching – everything is research, online, offline, everywhere and then some, because a writer needs to see the big, most integrated picture before they can reach a conclusion
  • Deep thinking – writers must dig deep into various knowledge disciplines to solve complex problems and conflicts characters create 
  • Thinking critically and predictably – about how the plot and lot will pan out in fiction, and in real life need to deliver informed bodies of work because many decisions depend on it
  • Flexibility – in thinking, in doing, trying out several arches and approaches, mediums and materials, point of views and matters of opinion
  • Adaptability – quickly find another solution if the current one is not tying all the knots, and having to adapt to various situations – eg from journalism to fiction, from creative non-fiction to commerce (business and copy writing) to no deadlines then all of a sudden strict deadlines
  • Communicating – super effectively and clearly so it’s easily read, understood and conveyed
  • Curiosity – know how to light the spark in the imagination of the reader and how the characters acquire solutions to achieve their goals
  • Creativity – innovate various scenarios for the story to work, and create new world’s that will excite and entertain the audience – or solve a problem somewhere in the world
  • Sorting and managing important information and knowledge – making connections others cant, connecting all the dots others simply can’t comprehend, because writers see the big picture
  • Connecting complex ideas – bringing it together in one golden thread, under one collective theme to make sense in one glance 
  • Transfer knowledge – to the audiences so it will have significant, lasting and memorable impact
  • Listening skills – listening with understanding and empathy when doing subject interviews and observing people and places
  • Speaking skills – to effectively sell and communicate the story to publishers, producers and consumers
  • Influence and negotiation tactics – to make characters do what you want them to do, so they themselves grow powerful enough to negotiate in return
  • Social awareness – of society strata to build personalities and new worlds, enforce social mobility and upward movements
  • Time management – writers constantly have deadlines, and so many things to write, while still having to deal with activities of life
  • Discipline – To sit down every day and get the job done, again and again
  • Decision making – to make the story move forward, or to decide what route would be best for the outcome for the characters, for the audiences, for the writer themselves
  • Self-reliance – writing is a solo game and no one can do it for you, writers depend on themselves and the power of one voice to get things done
  • Self-management – a writer plans everything themselves and is disciplined to get the job done in time
  • Persistence – to get to the end and finish it on time because so much depend on it
  • Resilience – to get through difficult creativity times and times when people knock down everything they write
  • Assertiveness – to find a publisher, or a producer, or a brand employer, or the next gig
  • Equanimity – the only thing that gets the creativity and imagination going
  • Emotional intelligence – for characters, and themselves to endure through hard times and to understand when things don’t always go as planned, characters seems to shape their own life
  • Coping with stress – by being able to take a day off and going on long walks to think:-) because they can
  • Understanding – of life and people to move the story forward, and to show human-ess
  • Logic reasoning skills – how else will the story make sense and be plausible?
  • The ability to persuade, to change hearts and minds – perhaps the single greatest skill that will give a writer the competitive edge 
  • Natural talent – and a lot of hard work, all the time, continuously
  • Avatars and personal branding – writers know how to draft characters, metaverse identity – branding, where image, visibility, interaction is based on reputation, portfolios, and data – a writer is at the forefront of this
  • Fluid and crystallised intelligence – comprehension of various topics and industry to relate to subjects and trends
  • Reading and writing, grammar, logic, rhetoric – ordering facts of reality, basic and systematic knowledge, displayed accurately and coherently to bring clarity and sense
  • Organising a body of knowledge from raw, factual data for the purpose of gaining understanding through logic
  • Close observation – analysis, scrutinising facts, interpreting big data, reflection, evaluation, inference, drawing reasonable conclusions from the information, discriminating between useful and less useful details, and making reasoned judgments on findings, and explaining information objectively.
  • Probing skills – knowing how to ask questions, how to dig deeper and deeper into the subject to get the the core truth or unknown facts of a situation, helping the interviewee to focus and narrow things down for clarity and understanding
  • Diplomacy and ethics – Good ethical and moral writers/journalists are tolerant, diplomatic, have respect for people, culture, protocols and decorum, and know how to deal with intimidation of any kind
  • Innovative – Because writers do so much research and speak to so many experts, they have the ability to create new ideas and innovative concepts that can translate into many other forms.

Of all the 100s of skills of a proficient writer: The biggest are imagination and creativity.

With imagination we can literally(*) change the world… 

The ability to imagine things pervades humanity’s entire existence. It influences everything we do, think about and create. It leads to elaborate theories, dreams and inventions in any profession – and is key to living a life of excellence.

As Einstein said…. “Imagination is more important than knowledge – for knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand”. 

“Logic”, he added, “will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere… It is the preview of life’s coming attractions”.

The Importance Of Having Writing Skills

Over hundreds of years, writing has helped individuals to articulate their knowledge, thoughts and ideas, writing about philosophy, history, culture and record generational knowledge.  

Writing is a vital skill to have in any occupation…

By far, the skill mentioned most often by employers is the ability to listen, write, and speak effectively – they all noted successful communication is critical in business.

Writing is the number one form of communication used anywhere because it’s the only place where thoughts are structured correctly to make sense in any scenario.

And of course, listening (and hearing) is the number one thing writers use to gather the information they seek to help them construct a message, to get to its focus or core meaning in order to transfer that insight correctly so others can use it more effectively.

Candidates need to know how to speak, how to support arguments by referring to evidence from empirical research, and how to sustain a coherent speech.

If you can communicate well (and have the ability to showcase this) you have a leg-up on the competition. If you can organise your thoughts, explain your arguments, describe a special experience or sell a vision, present your supporting evidence – you can lead and influence anyone.

Employers generally recognise that someone who demonstrates good writing skills is more likely to be someone who thinks clearly, knows how to organise information in logical ways, can support problem-solving and decision-making abilities, and understands how to put themselves in someone else’s shoes.

When an employer sees candidates who possess good writing skills, they tend to form the following opinions:

  • They are intelligent
  • They are credible
  • They understand professionalism
  • They are organised

How you successfully use writing, depends on you and what you want to achieve. Your writing skills determine if you receive the desired reaction. Did you inform, persuade, calm or entertain as you hoped? 

Writing expresses who you are, and can extend to long after your lifetime.  It makes your knowledge, your personal aspirations and your work for the future visible to others, and a tool to leave a legacy. 

Writing is the means to explain your ideas to yourself and to others while preserving your personal experiences and your memories.