Feb. 11, 2026 | Belen Ponce-Leal | Lifestyle Editor
Writing is a skill that many reading this have been lucky enough to have been taught early on in our childhoods. It is one of the strongest tools we as people have at our disposal. Many people were made famous throughout history for their talent in creating compelling works. Individuals like Suzanne Collins and Rick Riordan were able to make book series that became so popular and loved that they were adapted for the screen. There’s also Martin Luther King Jr., who became famous for his “I Have a Dream” speech. Even memoir works, such as Jennette McCurdy’s “I’m Glad My Mom Died,” have caused so many to discuss and buy copies. I thought it would be interesting to not only see what different types of writing there are, but also what kinds of benefits could come from them.
Creative writing — This is a type of writing that breaks the rules and expectations of academic papers or articles about caffeine. It’s one of the most expressive forms of writing that anyone can use. It is what has formed stories that have captivated readers for decades. However, it does involve a lot of trial and error. Being good at creative writing means that when others read the work by the author, the ideas that the author intended can be interpreted by the readers. This, like most forms of writing, forces the writer to come up with and form an idea into words. It leads to growth for the writer by helping them make better judgment calls and putting things into perspective. Creative writing also makes the writer more aware of their own ideas and the emotions associated with them. Creative writing can also be a way of self-care in that it allows the writer to become more expressive. By becoming conscious of our ideas, writing them out allows for a sort of release that some of us might find freeing. It can become an outlet for emotions that someone doesn’t realize they carry until they write it out, whether it be through a character in a story or the symbolism of an object. Writing creatively can also improve one’s attention span, as it involves multitasking. When creating a story, we not only write. We craft a concept, write it out, read it and edit it. This forces the writer’s attention to be only on what they are creating.
Note-taking — Taking notes is something that all college students are encouraged to do and can often be required by some teachers. For some, this can be a boring chore. However, there are benefits to writing things down. When taking notes, the mind is focused on the content being said or read. It forces the person to engage with the material, and writing it down encourages retention. It has been proven by multiple studies that the more we write down to repeat an idea, the more likely it is that a person will be able to remember that information. It can also help someone become better at organizing information, whether through highlighting the most important ideas of the readings or being able to identify the supporting points around the main topic. This also helps someone be able to condense a large amount of information into something smaller and easier to remember, which is helpful for when we have to fit a lot of information into a notecard for a test. Well, that, and writing incredibly small.
Journaling — Journaling is a form of writing in which someone can basically write anything they want. They can write goals they have, thoughts they think, track events that happen throughout the day and a lot more. Benefits to journaling involve a lot of personal growth, especially about events that happen in someone’s life. Writing out what happened can help one process the event as well as figure out how they feel about it. It not only improves writing and communication skills, but it also provides a sort of release of built-up emotions, just like creative writing does. It can also increase self-awareness of someone’s actions. Writing about setbacks experienced in life could help someone figure out how not to repeat what they went through. Similar to note-taking, journaling helps boost the memory of what happened in the mind. Repetition often helps us recall memories about various things, whether it be the party we went to where we met our partner or remembering that time Travis got his head stuck in the gutter.
Reporting — Reporting is described as giving information that one has seen or observed in a formal written form. A lot of businesses have a reporting system to inform employees and other people in the organization. Reports can vary from reporting sales to explaining events that occurred throughout the day. It’s a form of writing that teaches those who use it to organize events clearly and to use simple language to describe events. This type of writing can enhance credibility between customers and the company, strengthen relationships and improve operations. Writing good reports also means that those writing them need to be good at observing things and remembering them. Therefore, it makes employees more accountable for observing what goes around them and including them in the report. Clarifying purposes can also be a benefit for those who write reports. After all, reporting is done specifically to inform others about something.
Writing has been the outlet that I use to express myself. I primarily do creative writing, but will also occasionally journal in order to collect the thoughts wandering through my brain. The characters that come from the drafts I write have a piece of me in them. That alone is the greatest benefit that I personally get from writing. Whatever benefit that someone else gets from writing, I hope that it’s as important to them as it is to me.
Contact the author at howllifestyle@wou.edu
