Author reflections

Do You Know the Benefits of Creative Writing?

The effects on your brain and health may surprise you.

Most people love to engage in creative writing because they enjoy it. I’ve written about my own motivation to write here.

And I’ve been writing for a long time, too. I wrote poetry in elementary school and at university, and in high school I created fantasy worlds that later became the setting of some of my novels.

I guess it was only later that I thought about the effect that writing might be having.

That it might be a form of therapy.

Or an escape.

In fact, researchers have been looking into this for years. Both reading and creative writing have been recommended (or even prescribed) to people to help with their mental health, as have other forms of creative pursuits.

Why?

Well, let’s think about some of the specific benefits of creative writing:

Effect on mood

In ‘The Psychology of Creative Writing’, Adele Kohanyi explains the evidence that both journalists and creative writers report that engaging in writing boosts their mood.

They feel happier after writing, and more positive about themselves.

Effect on health

Of course, the point above is complicated by the fact that some writers are not mentally healthy. Take one of my own favorite authors, Edgar Allen Poe, as a famous example.

More broadly, there is a stereotype that creative people are often mentally unstable.

However, it might surprise you to learn that experts now agree that creativity is associated with better physical and mental health, not worse.

It can be therapeutic, and helpful for those with severe illnesses such as cancer, both in terms of mental and physical health. A possible reason for this is that people benefit from being able to express and explore their emotions through writing, and that this reduces stress.

Effect on overall wellbeing

Megan Hayes makes the case that the benefits of creative writing go beyond a boost to mental health, and are part of ‘flourishing’ as a person.

In this sense, the creative act can be seen in terms of what Carl Rogers spoke about as self-actualisation, that is, fulfilling your potential as a human being.

I hope that this article helps you to reflect on why you are writing. We won’t all make it as the next big thing in fiction — that’s just a reality. We can’t all become rich and famous.

It’s therefore worth considering this: if you didn’t ever ‘make it’, would you continue writing?

That’s a personal choice.

But it is clear that writing and other creative pursuits are healthy, enriching, and can help you flourish as a person.

Two other things. You can get my posts direct to your inbox. Do that here!

Also, if you’d like to join a fun community of creative writers, then check out The Fiction Writer’s Den.

Follow The Orange Journal so you don’t miss a post. Do you love to write about self-improvement and personal development? Learn how to be added as a writer here. 🍊