Writing is one of the best ways to share your feelings and ideas. It allows you to communicate with people over vast distances, putting your thoughts and emotions into words for others to read. Whether you are writing for personal or professional reasons, putting pen to paper (or fingers to computer keys) is an important way to reach your audience.
One way to improve your writing is to learn from other writers. Authors who have successfully conveyed their ideas through many different forms of writing can be a profound source of wisdom. By reading about how other people have approached writing, you can develop new ways of looking at the world. Below are some examples of how great writers have reflected on their craft and the art of storytelling in its many forms.
1. “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside of you”—Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Maya Angelou was born in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1928. As an African American woman exposed to the dual prejudices of sexism and racism during a time when many hard-fought rights were yet to be won, Angelou is a shining example of how writing can be used to push for social change. Telling stories that are both personal and political, Angelou became a prominent author and civil rights activist. She uncovered personal traumas and pathways toward a better society in her popular poems and memoirs.
For aspiring writers, this quotation is a reminder of the importance of our stories and how meaningful it is to share our untold tales. Whether you express yourself through poetry, novels, essays, or articles, writing about your journey is an important part of connecting with other people and expressing what matters to you.
2. “I find life a bit chaotic, quite frankly… But I get a sense of life and a sense of order when I write. I start to understand things better.”—Ngugi wa Thiong’o
Ngugi wa Thiong’o is no stranger to chaos. Born in Kenya during a time of war, his novels and academic writings wrestle with the history of colonialism and rebellion that surrounded him during his youth. Eventually jailed for writing novels and plays that were critical of the Kenyan government, he wrote the first modern book in Gikuyu, his native language, on toilet paper in his prison cell. He has gone on to become one of Africa’s most famous writers and a prominent advocate of human rights. Through his many memoirs, novels, essays, and plays, Ngugi uncovers the story of his nation, his family, and his life.
This quotation demonstrates how writing can help us make sense of the world around us. By using written words, you can reflect on who you are, what you value, and how you fit into the wider community. Writing gives you an opportunity to better understand other people and yourself. Even if life can sometimes feel overwhelming, you can take time each day to write a journal, a blog, or any other genre that helps you organize your ideas and become more mindful of your needs and goals.
3. “The truth about stories is that’s all we are”—Thomas King, The Truth About Stories
Thomas King is an award-winning Canadian writer of German, Greek, and Cherokee descent. As a best-selling and critically acclaimed Indigenous author, he has gained a reputation for his mix of social commentary and humour in novels such as Green Grass, Running Water and The Back of the Turtle. In his Massey Lecture series, The Truth About Stories, King suggests that stories are all around us and an important part of our everyday experiences. Writing is a powerful tool for telling those stories, allowing us to capture the essence of our identities and share it through our words.
King’s statement is a reminder that we all tell stories, whether we are writing about something that happened to us, creating a résumé, advertising a product, or developing a mission statement for a charity. Everything you write communicates something and gives your readers an impression about you or the organization you work for. Stories can have an impact on your emotions, spark your curiosity, or inspire you to think differently. All forms of writing tell stories, and each of us has stories that deserve to be told. Developing your writing skills allows you to put them onto the page for others to understand and enjoy.
4. “Everybody has something to teach a writer.”—Arundhati Roy
Arundhati Roy is one of India’s best-known authors, with her novel The God of Small Things winning the prestigious Booker Prize in 1997. She has gained renown and courted controversy for writing that champions human rights and environmentalism. As a writer, she has drawn upon her travels across her country and around the world, meeting people from various religious, ethnic, and socio-economic backgrounds. By making use of the lessons she has learned during these discussions and encounters, she is able to bring her characters and ideas to life.
Roy’s words highlight the importance of learning from everyone around you. Writing is usually better when it is supported by research or personal knowledge. By listening to a diverse range of people with various experiences and points of view, you can find new ideas for your writing and better connect with many different audiences.
Ultimately, these writers have unique ways of looking at the world and have been highly successful in communicating their ideas. Whether they write fiction or nonfiction, prose or poetry, novels or plays, each of these authors finds a way to impact the minds and emotions of their readers. By learning from these and other writers, you can improve your writing and reach more people. You can also work with professional writers and editors to tell the stories that are important to you. Contact iPlume Writing to learn more.
