You know what they say, creativity is what makes us human. There are so many ways creativity can positively affect our mental and physical health. That’s why we’re always told to have hobbies that exercise our creativity. Whether it’s drawing, sculpting, music or dance, we as humans have always shared an appreciation for the arts. But what about writing? How can seeing writing as an art form help you?
Many people write on a daily basis – for work, messaging online, writing assignments or diary entries. Writing is what some might call a democratic art. It’s accessible to a wide variety of people. Then there are a few that take it a step further with creative writing.
Sure, creative writing is widely accepted as an art form. You need an exciting story, impactful character development and descriptive scenery. The process of taking carefully crafted elements and blending them into one cohesive picture is just like painting. But most people see other kinds of writing as a chore for school or work. How can a chore be art? Once you shake those expectations, writing can be a fun, relaxing hobby like any other art form.
What even is art?
The Macquarie Dictionary defines art as “the production or expression of what is beautiful (especially visually), appealing or of more than ordinary significance”. But it also says art is “a skill or knack; a method of doing a thing, especially if it is difficult”. So, anything you’re skilled at and practice a little creativity to make it appealing is art.
All conventional types of art tell a story, whether in a poem, film, painting, song or dance. Writing too, whether a novel or a social media caption, is about telling a story. Art is also a way people externalise their feelings. What more common way is there than writing a diary entry or a tweet? Of course, those might not get you into an art museum. But the writing that is carefully crafted for a specific audience sure should be appreciated more.
Even in writing for your business, where you’re catering to SEO or writing a thought leadership article rather than entertaining a reader, there is still an art to it. It takes careful craftsmanship to increase a brand’s searchability through words in a way that makes sense. Art lies in the subtlety of assembling words when you’re constrained by a word limit, keyword requirements, and engagement scores.
Writing is one of the most powerful tools to communicate your brand and what makes it unique. In fact, storytelling has been proven a really effective way for people to remember information. People don’t realise it takes real craft, backed by research and practice, to turn businesses into memorable brands, and to capture the audience like a poem or artwork would.
A rewarding challenge
The famous writer Ernest Hemingway once said writing is a “perpetual challenge” because you can never do it as well as it can be done. The challenge is what made him write. It’s evident that writing is more than stringing everyday sentences on a page. It’s just like writing a song or drawing a portrait – you have to know what needs to go where, when they should be there, and how the audience will react.
Did you know writing makes you use multiple parts of the brain? The frontal lobe is used for judgement and planning. Your hippocampus recalls memories and information. You also, obviously, use the areas responsible for reading, visualising, moving and speaking. Just like when you’re drawing, sculpting or playing an instrument, your brain is making a series of decisions when you’re writing. Also, the more you practice the craft, the more your brain gets used to it. So, even if you feel like an amateur writer now, it will get easier with practice!
Tips for better writing
Here at Elite Words, we know the only way to get better at writing is to keep practising! Here are some things you can try the next time you want to write an engaging story, website, or blog post.
- Grab the reader from the get-go. Make sure your opening lines are interesting and use them to entice the reader into reading more.
- Create a word picture. Use sensory language to describe sights, smells and sounds to invoke a certain emotion in your reader.
- Be unexpected. You might be restricted by word count or SEO, but find new ways to say things and sell your uniqueness.
- Keep it simple. Don’t use fancy words or long sentences if it doesn’t suit your audience.
- Just write! Write whatever comes to mind now, and then carefully edit and reword later.
Like many different artworks, poems or musical pieces, writing has the potential to affect people. Whether you’re writing for your personal brand or business, it’s a careful process that takes practice, patience and careful consideration. But if you need the advice of experts, Elite Words can help, so get in touch!
