Why Writers Need to Share More Widely

A large part of writing is problem solving: writers consistently encounter issues and barriers which must be addressed or overcome. When this happens, as in every other walk of life, you will focus on the problem until it is solved, and then move on beyond it. Whether you ask others for help or advice, read articles, research potential solutions, or just think about it for a really long time, you gather knowledge and skills you did not previously have. Rather than hanging on to it—or worse, discarding it—you can and should share it with others.

“The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on. It is never of any use to oneself.”

Oscar Wilde

Sharing is a necessity to support those around you, yet the idea of sharing can make people uncomfortable. Some are less willing to draw attention to themselves than others. Some writers write simply to write and not for any other reward. Yet even these writers—those who do not want attention, those who are shy, those who do not want others see their work, those scared to be exposed, those feeling vulnerable, and those wishing to recluse from the world—still encounter issues, still get stuck, and still have the same doubts and fears as every other writer.

We are all progressing differently on our individual journeys as writers, yet when one writer faces a problem it is highly likely—almost an absolute given—that somewhere in the world another writer will one day go through a similar problem. If their solutions, their experiences, their thought-processes, their approaches are shared, then even if the two problems are not identical there will be some overlap. The second writer facing the problem will gain from the experience of the first, even if just conceptually or from a sense of comradery.

“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.”

Maya Angelou

Sharing goes beyond just offering solutions to problems. If you write something new, or have something published, that deserves to be shared. If you achieve something, that should be shared. Anything that others can benefit from—whether it inspires, answers questions, solves problems, offers advice, reinforces ideas, motivates, or is just worth celebrating—should be shared. As such, I want to challenge you to share, to share more, and to share more widely.

Whether you are a new or experienced writer is irrelevant. Your experience, your journey, is worth sharing, and others can and will benefit from what you have to share. Write articles or essays, offer advice, share what you know, and share it outside of your comfort zone. Submit your articles for publication. Go to writers’ groups or events and support others. Listen to those around you, take in what they are sharing, but also share your part; that way we all benefit, and we all become better writers.