Political movements may begin with a fire in the breast, but it is the written word that distributes this fire far and wide. The American Revolution was successful in large part because of the printing press. The sacred truths of Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam have influence today because their holy books were preserved in writing.
Why do we remember Marco Polo’s travels to China but know nothing of his uncle’s previous journeys to this exotic foreign land? The answer is self-evident when we learn that Marco Polo spent time in jail with a writer who recorded his stories and preserved them for posterity.
In the business world, it is almost impossible to be a person of influence without writing skills. Whether crafting business plans or sales presentations, memos or ad copy, the written word is the coin of the realm.
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Writing is one of those magical skills that not only helps us communicate with others, it also helps us understand ourselves. Writing forces us to clarify our thoughts. As our language becomes more precise in the reflection of our thoughts, feelings and observations, we get better at understanding and articulating our innermost selves. Once writing well begins to matter to us, we’re forced to think with greater care about the words we choose, and the nuances of language.
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Photo by Thom Milkovic on Unsplash
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