The skill that has served me the most in life is also the one I was never taught – ‘writing.’ In fact, most of us will probably never learn the craft of writing formally.
Yet, we know no weapon that is more powerful. Words can rouse anger, spark love, or uplift your spirits. Words can persuade, make you rethink, and move you to action.
That is why autocrats fear the written word. That is why they ban books and jail authors. Words make the powerful insecure.
But even at a more mundane level, writing forces thought clarity. In fact, whenever I feel like I don’t know what I am doing, I write things down. Soon, I start seeing things more clearly.
So how do we improve our writing?
They say, you are what you eat. But then, aren’t we also what we read?
So what do we read these days? Mostly blogs, social feeds, and random websites. Internet has democratized writing, but that has come at a price – most of the stuff you get is junk.
The internet is optimized to grab your attention, not to nurture it.
Instead of reading clickbaity stuff, spend that time on good books. Global news publications (NY Times, The New Yorker, Washington Post) also are great options. Occasionally, you may also find good blogs (e.g., on Medium) but be very, very choosy.
What we read will gradually become what we write. Choose carefully.
– Rajan