In these blogs, I’ve talked a lot about how to become a better writer, and even touched on why writers are important, but today I want to talk about the direct effect writing has on readers and writers alike.

This article won’t touch on everything that writing does, as a lot of it is unique to personal experiences and to each piece. However, there are a few broad consequences that are applicable to most texts.

1.Promotes Two-Way Empathy

Unless you are reading your individual biography/autobiography, chances are what you’re reading is written from a different perspective than your own. Sometimes you are reading the perspective of a fictional person, sometimes it’s a real person, and sometimes it’s something non-human like an animal or a robot. Regardless of what you are reading, the fact of the matter is that you are completely immersed in someone else’s story. And there is no better way to understand someone else’s experience than that.

Likewise, as a writer, you are forced to seek out and understand another person’s story in order to communicate it to your readers. This is a big responsibility that cannot be taken lightly. You have to educate yourself with humility and respect so that when you write, you are writing the most accurate piece possible. Even a fictional or abstract story links to some element of truth, and this truth is what makes space for empathy.

2. Provokes Thought

Everyone that has gone to school has had to read and write, because these activities are essential for living in our society. But they are more than mere expositional skills. Writing challenges ideologies, history, morals, etc. forcing both those creating the story and those reading it to consider things from another perspective.

One example of the millions of texts that does this is Obasan by Joy Kogawa. This novel was written in the 1970s about the Internment of Japanese Canadians during World War II. The novel expertly describes the trauma endured by Japanese Canadians, causing readers to consider the implications of this very recent racial injustice.

3. Insights Change

This third effect of writing is a result of the first two. Since readers and writers spend so much time walking in another’s shoes and thinking about what new knowledge each pair of shoes provides, they are in a better position to promote change.

Take Kogawa’s Obasan for example again. At the time the novel came out, the Canadian government had not issued a formal acknowledgement or apology for the internment of Japanese Canadians. After the novel was published, a formal apology was issued. Ed Broadbent (then leader of NDP) quoted Obasan in his speech on Sept. 22 1988. Today, the Internment of Japanese Canadians is a part of most Canadian history curriculums. Of course, not all of these changes can be contributed to the book alone, however, Obasan certainly played a large role in enacting them.

It’s because of the profound impact that writing has on our society, that I fell in love with this career. I’d love to know what specific effects writing has had on your life, so please feel free to comment below!