Having struggled at times to encourage my kids to keep a diary or write about what they have learned, this is a question I have had put to me with passion and sometimes tears. My answer has been different at different times, but the reasons include:
writing is a form of communication where you cannot be interrupted;
writing allows time for idea formulation and correction;
writing gives you the opportunity to hear what you are thinking;
writing permits you to rerun situations that went badly and provide a different ending/answer;
writing can connect you with others in a deeper way than conversation.
It seems a little paradoxical that something which allows you to step back from the immediacy of verbal communication, can also bring you closer. Perhaps the fact that on the whole conversation can be somewhat haphazard and tangential, while writing allows more lineal, complete and structured communication is instrumental in permitting this depth.
One of the many things I have learned from my husband is the importance of letting someone you are conversing with finish their ideas. So many people feel quite justifiably unheard because the ebb and flow of conversation overwhelmed the contribution they might otherwise have made. Writing allows us to communicate an idea in entirety, with less chance of misinterpretation and without losing the train of thought. Reading another’s written communication gives us time to absorb the ideas they are expressing and think them over without any pressure to give an immediate response.
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