Writing matters. No matter how old you are, writing is a skill that matters. It’s also a skill that seems to be less and less used on a daily basis by more and more people. Technology advances and thus, things are becoming more digital. And sadly, less analogue. Now don’t get me wrong, I do love technology and the digital age. However, writing is incredibly important. I wanted to send a moment today to share a bit about that.
I feel like as technology advances, we stop using analogue ways. So many people have never sent a letter in their lives. Work colleagues scramble to find scrap paper to write on, as everything is done by email. I feel like more university students are bringing laptops or iPads into classes – over pens and paper. A lot of students revise with typed notes. I’m not saying you should handwrite everything, no. Typing notes is definitely a lot faster in class. However, I think people should incorporate more writing into their daily habits.
Advantages to writing
Something as small as writing your to do list on paper can really help. A lot of studies show that handwriting things helps you to remember it. It certainly worked for me during my degree. I remember my shopping list now better, if I’ve written it. Most times, I don’t even need to refer to the paper afterwards. However, when I’ve tried to just “remember” it, I always end up forgetting something.
You also have the endless possibility when you’re putting pen to paper. There’s no restrictions. You can choose to write in lines, if you want. Or write vertically, or diagonally, or even in wavy lines. You can draw a mind map, a tree diagram, various boxes or shapes for different points. Circle things, cross things out, write all over the place, add arrows everywhere… It’s up to your imagination… So, it probably also aids creativity too.
I’m sure there’s tons of other advantages to writing. For me, I like to write letters or in my journal. It gives me time to just relax a little, and put down my thoughts or feelings to paper. It’s a bit like self-care. A sense of self-care that I wouldn’t get if I simply typed my diary. It also gives the recipient of the letters something special to open up.
What’s my point?
My point is, I really want to encourage more and more people to write something. Anything. More things. Write a letter to someone, write yourself a story, jot down a to do list, scribble down your next meeting notes. Write more – and keep writing.
If you’re not a writer, why not? I would love to know why you prefer typing over writing. Is it an issue with your handwriting? I know a number of people who dislike writing because of their bad handwriting. Unfortunately, it’s something that only improves with practice.
And if you do want to support this cause, there’s some really great organisations doing vital work in this matter.
Check out these places & see what you can do to support them:
These organisations and charities are doing great work all over the UK. They are helping to support hundreds of thousands of people in various areas. Although they are focused on different things, I think they are all very important and work really well together. So I wanted to share them all with you today and talk a little about ways you could help support them.
National Stationery Week
The National Stationery Week is an UK initiative that believes that writing really does matter. Every year, in April, they run an annual week dedicated to stationery – and writing. They inspire people to write more. They inspired me to start this blog and share my love for stationery with you. It’s truly a great week – really fun to follow and get involved with.
You can help by spreading the word. They haven’t announced the new dates for 2018 yet. However, you can visit their website and follow their social media accounts. And then spread the word when they do set up for 2018.
I will definitely be around that week, talking more about why writing matters to me and sharing what I do. So it would be great to have you involved too!
They are supported by many organisations. One that I wanted to mention is actually National Handwriting Association.
National Handwriting Association
The National Handwriting Association is a charity that understands the importance of handwriting. They argue that it’s “vital component of literacy”.
They do a lot of work in this area. From improving the teaching of handwriting to supporting the work of those who work with children that have handwriting difficulties. You can actually sign up as a member too. If handwriting is important to literacy than should we not do more to improve it? And what better way than writing more?
Did you know that the 23rd Jan 2018 is National Handwriting Day? Why not get involved with the day or with the association to help promote this cause.
National Literacy Trust
This leads me on to the National Literacy Trust. If writing can help improve handwriting, which is a vital component of literacy then I have to spend a moment to talk about that, surely? Last year, the Trust directly supported over 108,000 children through their programmes. They help in schools, early year settings, businesses and even do research & campaigning. They do a huge amount of work for a lot of people.
As a charity, the Trust relies on donations and your support too. You can donate directly to them or help fundraise for them. You can even do what I am doing – spread the word. Tell people about them and the work they do. Literacy is a fundamental skill and we should do what we can to help improve literacy across the country. (And also the world but let’s start with the UK for now).
And there you have it. I just wanted to share these great organisations with you quickly. And remind you that writing does truly matter. So spend a moment this Christmas and write something. How about a thank you letter to someone? Or aim to write something in the new year – make that one of your resolutions. You could also head on over to check out these organisations and charities. Perhaps you could support them! If you have a bit of money to spare, you can make donations to the charities directly on their pages. However, don’t forget that you can also help support them without money. So if you can’t support them financial, you can still do something else!
As a hint, one of my 2018 goals is to do more writing! You’ll see when the project comes to fruition but it’s definitely one I’m excited about. So until next time, remember: writing matters!