Writing is at times one of the most beautiful ways of expressing your innermost feelings, thoughts, and ideas. It can also be a wonderful way to channel your emotions when coping is difficult. When you bring your inner ideas to life, you add just a little bit more flavor to human existence – we love it!
It’s too bad that so much of writing these days has been transformed into 140 character chunks or badly abbreviated blurbs. True, it’s still useful for expressing what’s going on inside, but surely one can see the better benefit in a deeper expression of internal happenings, right?
In this article, a gracious reader and champion for life-change was kind enough to do a little question and answer interview survey with me. I don’t claim to be the best interviewer in the world, but I do promise some good, raw, and honest answers from normal people like you and me. I do my best to NOT filter these answers, except for the bad words and hateful speech (which of course doesn’t happen often).
With that little blurb out of the way, let’s dive right into the content!
Today’s Topic: Sharing Ideas Through Writing
‘R’ = Richard N. Stephenson (me!)
‘I’ = Interviewee (anonymous by request unless otherwise noted)
[This interview is inspired and fueled by research done for my book: Quick Content Formula.]
R: Describe what sharing ideas through writing means to you.
I: Sharing ideas through writing means that comments are requested at the end of a blog or an online article. Most articles should request comments so that ideas can get shared instead of the writer having a monologue all by himself. Sharing ideas means that there are a myriad of comments that follow the online article that means that the article was read with interest.
R: Describe how sharing ideas through writing would be useful to people looking to change their lives/careers.
I: It could give another person more information on different career/ life paths that they could take. Maybe a writer shares some ideas about going back to school when he was 25 and encouraged a 25 year old drop out to go finish his education.It also may give people inspiration on some life/career path they had never thought of before. One could go and become a monk or a teenager could decided to be a doctor.
R: Give an example of sharing ideas through writing being used that has inspired you (from either internet/mainstream media examples or personal examples).
I: I love the idea of a creative writing project I participated in during Univerisity which required several students to complete a story together. The first person wrote a paragraph, then passed the story for a new student to read and continue the story. In the end, there was such an array of ideas and plot devices used that made the stories more interesting to read. I wish this style were more common in professional use.
R: How do you think a better understanding of sharing ideas through writing would help other people in their personal or professional life?
I: So many aspects of personal and professional life can be improved by the sharing of ideas that is is immeasurable. I think that many people who need help or advice who would otherwise would not seek it will turn to the written word for help and advice. Whether in the form of a book, a discussion forum, or mailing list, this advice could be sought anonymously if so desired. I also believe that people who share an interest in a given topic – any topic – can share ideas through writing for the benefit of all. A group of people sharing their ideas and beliefs will always benefit many, just as one expert author can benefit many through sharing their knowledge with a book.
R: Give an example of how sharing ideas through writing has helped you professionally or personally.
I: Sharing ideas through e-mail has been commonplace for myself and my co-workers, since I work in a large office, it is hard to all come together in person, thus creating a message thread/conversation with written words/ideas has helped us bridge the gap in getting everybody on the same page about certain things (meeting times, updated policies, inter-office news etc.). On a personal note, writing things down on paper has truly helped me clarify my thoughts on things that were initially too hard to keep in my head, such as thoughts that I had about a relationship I was having with my significant other. Conversely my girlfriend is not great at conveying her feelings face-to-face, but can always seem to get her thoughts across to me in a Facebook message/e-mail message.
R: Describe at least one way you think sharing ideas through writing could cause trouble or hurt someone in their personal or professional life.
I: I love writing myself but I could see it causing trouble or hurting someone in their personal or professional life. The reason I say this is because as I said in another question that I answered many people sometimes tend to be on the shy side so they can better express themselves by writing what they are feeling down that way they don’t have to be face to face with the confrontation or whatever it is they are wanting or trying to say. Sometimes in a professional career it could be hurtful to the person if they are not an outgoing person and cant stand up and say what they really mean instead of writing it down.
R: Give an example of how sharing ideas through writing has hurt you or caused you trouble in the past.
I: I have left a note for a roommate rather than confronting them directly about the issues we were dealing with. This led to a misinterpretation of my meaning, as my roommate saw this as a passive aggressive action. It would have been better in this situation to share my concerns and ideas to better keep the shared living space verbally.
R: How do you think sharing ideas through writing could help you in a professional setting? Why is that?
I: When expressing an idea through writing, you have more time to work out what you want to say and make sure that you’re expressing your thoughts correctly. This helps to cut down on misunderstandings, which promotes a more positive work environment. In addition, it allows workers with different schedules to still communicate, even if their schedules don’t align well enough to meet in person. It’s also useful as you can go back and re-read what has been said, whereas if ideas are only expressed verbally, they’re hard to re-check.
R: Give an example of how sharing ideas through writing could be useful at work. Why do you think this?
I: I think writing is an excellent way to express yourself. At work sometimes depending on the job you sometimes feel like a robot but when given the opportunity to write you share a piece of yourself. I think it’s important because instead of just going with the easiest answer it forces you to really evaluate what you are saying.
R: How do you think sharing ideas through writing could help you at home? Why is that?
I: Sometimes there are so many thoughts in my head that the only way to organize them is to put it on paper. Sharing my ideas through writing would allow me to visually see all my thoughts and make sense of them without being overwhelmed. Also, any troubling thoughts wouldn’t be stuck in my head all day as I could write about it as if I were having a conversation with someone else.
R: Give an example of how sharing ideas through writing could be useful at home or in family life. Why do you think this?
I: Writing can help many families and individuals to communicate and improve life. For one, many people communicate better in writing than verbally. There’s less pressure and a more open format, as no one will interrupt you. Another plus is that not everyone has to be present to share ideas through writing. Then, of course, there are more simple, everyday uses for writing – notes (cute notes in lunches, for example, reminders (take the girls to soccer practice), lists (pick up milk and eggs). There’s no limit to the practical uses of writing at home.
R: How do you think sharing ideas through writing could help you in a personal relationship? Why is that?
I: Being a person who has difficulty displaying and explaining my emotions with action or words, writing is really the only way I can express myself most of the time. If I write, I don’t have the opportunity to explode in anger. I don’t get overwhelmed with the situation and not say wheat I really should say or what I really mean to say without saying the wrong thing and making matter worse.
R: Give an example of how sharing ideas through writing could be useful in a personal relationship. Why do you think this?
I: It could be useful because it is often easier to clearly articulate ideas through writing than through speech. In that way, it could help avoid miscommunication about important topics. Written letters or notes could also serve as a lasting reminder of a person’s thoughts or feelings on a particular subject. For example, romantic couples could write each other love letters (or e-mails, texts, etc.) and then go back and read them to help strengthen their relationship at a later time.
R: Describe at least one thing you would like to learn more about sharing ideas through writing.
I: I’d like to know the different ways of sharing ideas and the benefits and downfalls to each. Such as if writing in different forms are more comprehensible to others, like reading from pages in a book or reading from the web. I would think possibly that reading from a computer may put strain on the reader and may make the information less likely to be retained as opposed to reading from pages.
R: Give your number one piece of advice for someone looking to learn more about sharing ideas through writing.
I: Let your ideas flow through you. When it comes into your head, just write that exact thought down. There is no need to throw in fancy language, the only thing you need to worry about is making sure the idea is conveyed clearly and completely. Don’t feel afraid of sounding stupid, or silly. As long as your idea is clear and well thought out, you did a good job.
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That’s it for now! I hope you enjoyed this interview conversation and found at least one useful bit of information you can immediately begin to apply in your life.
Also, if you’d like to figure out how to make a lot of great content for your own blog, website, school work, or email newsletters, then you might enjoy the Quick Content Formula. This is my own personal (and favorite!) method of creating highly engaging, fun, and useful information at a very quick pace. It’s a great way to beat that blinking cursor and write more awesome stuff. Click here to check it out.
Please share your thoughts, experiences, or your own interview answers and let’s share some real life wisdom, okay?