Writing helps writing. One of the important things about writing.

Found that it's much easier and faster for me to finish writing an essay nowadays. I'm inclined to think that it's because I'm (somewhat) regularly updating my blog.

I used to believe that "oh you need to be inspired to create art" or "you need to have the right environment to let all your creativity flow out". And that is true. You need to have the right environment to be inspired to let your creative and artistic energies burst through your mind. But the truth is that, more often than not, you need to create that environment.

Ideas come to us all the time. Whether you're resting, reading a book, taking a shower, picking out the best papaya in the grocery store.

But what's the use of having an idea if you're not going to crystallize and refine it? That's when the next step is crucial. You gotta find a time to sit yourself down, close yourself off from the rest of the world (at least for a while), and just be able to think about it in full, to write down the little strands and thoughts that flow out from that one big idea.

Whether it be an essay, a concept, a story, a song, a business plan, or just any sort of innovative idea, you have to have time to fully give it form.

And that's what I learnt about writing. I used to put off writing essays / stories / etc, saying that I'd write it down when I have spare time, when I'm less frazzled, when I feel like I'm in a 'creative mood'. But now I realised that while ideas pop in on us all the time, 'creative moods' don't necessarily do the same. I have to set aside the time to create the environment to put my inspirations into words.

I didn't use to see writing as a form of discipline; discipline just seems so lifeless, dry, and boring. But it wasn't! Discipline was and is never meant to confine our thoughts and our creativity. Instead, the purpose of discipline is to giving us a sort of framework, create a sort of practice and environment so that we are able to channel our creative juices the best way we could.

 So I worked at being disciplined in my writing. Not in the sense that I was being rigid with my ideas, but in the sense that I was aiming to become consistent and conscientious about my writing. I try to put up a blog post at least once a week. Even if it's something inane and silly, I'd post it up, so that I won't fall out of the practice of writing.

And it definitely helps! I wouldn't say I'm a super duper, fantastic writer, but I would say that the process of churning ideas out, expressing them, and refining them has definitely become a lot smoother than before.

Do you have a talent for something? You gotta work at it, lovingly and passionately hone it. You can't expect to reach your potential with a snap of your fingers. As the adage goes 'practice makes perfect'. And if you're a writer - or if you're someone who's got to churn out essays and reports all the time - keep writing. Because writing helps writing.