Charles Spurgeon, 19^th century evangelist, was a prolific writer and penned 140 books and thousands of letters, and he published a monthly periodical, The Sword and the Trowel, in addition to over 60 volumes of sermons. Writing was so important to Spurgeon that he once wrote, “Many of our hours of pain and weakness have been lightened by preparing the first volume of our book on the Psalms for the press. If we could not preach we could write, and we pray that this form of service may be accepted of the Lord” (Sword & Trowel, January 1870).¹

Writing, like any other endeavor, requires that it be exercised to maintain and improve the skills associated with it. A good rule of thumb to go by is to write for at least one hour per day. It doesn’t matter what you write, just set aside the time and do it. What are some benefits of doing this? Let’s look at some.

The most obvious benefit is that writing every day, routinely, exercises your mind. Studies show that an active brain is a healthy brain. It’s kind of like exercising your muscles except, instead of strengthening and growing muscle tissue, you are strengthening and growing the neurons in your brain. Writing is a cognitive function; so, it makes sense that writing of any sort on a regular basis enhances brain activity. An interesting, brief article on the positive impact of mental activity on the brain’s health can be found at https://healthengine.com.au/info/effects-of-mental-activity-on-health.

Another benefit of writing on a regular basis is that it gets your ideas on paper or whatever other medium you prefer. I can’t tell you how many times I have had a great idea for a story, poem, or development of a plot line thinking that I will remember it. However, when it was time to make use of the idea, it was gone; vanished into thin air. So, writing on a regular basis allows you to record your thoughts while they are still fresh.

A final thought on the benefits of writing on a routine basis is that it builds my library of ideas, giving me something to look back on for more ideas and references. It’s kind of like the first benefit I mentioned, how mental activity is good form the brain. The more I write, the more ideas I commit to memory, so to speak. I build a deeper, more robust base from which to work on future and current projects.

So, these have been some of my thoughts on the benefits of writing. Can you think of any more benefits? I’d love to hear about them. Please leave your thoughts in the Comments field.

¹lucidbooks, “7 Writing Tips from Charles Spurgeon,” 2/22/2016. Retrieved from https://lucidbookspublishing.com/7-writing-tips-from-charles-spurgeon/?fbclid=IwAR3uUmjb2jOP8MyZ7AQEvU_MIYHI5QYC-lDrBTfVOZNvSGQUosJxqeLrZNg on 1/4/2020