Why Writing is the Most Important Thing You Can Learn

I had a professor who always said that the ability to write well is the most important skill a person can develop. Okay, you caught me; he was my writing teacher. But he’s certainly not the only one with that opinion. As I’ve made the transition from student to alumna and now to employee, I’ve heard it echoed again and again.

In fact, I was recently in a job interview with a TV station’s assistant news director when he said almost that exact thing. He told me that no matter what you want to do in life, a solid background in writing will always get you farther, faster. Since it was the context of the interview, I’ll take local news as an example. If you want to be an anchor, you have to start as a reporter – and for that, you need to be able to write news stories well. If you want to work in station promotions, you have to be able to write on-air promos well. Becoming a news producer or an assignment editor requires daily writing and editing. And there are the news writers for whom it’s their whole life.

A promotions producer once informed me that in a world where computers can be taught almost anything, writing careers will be safe. And he’s right. A quick look around the station where I work shows computers taking over more and more jobs – did you know there aren’t even studio camera operators anymore? All of the studio cameras are run by a single robotics operator using one computer and some kind of joystick.

But computers becoming writers? Even if you can teach a computer the rules of grammar and how to string together nouns and verbs, can you really teach it how to write? “Write” as in craft a story, captivate an audience, motivate someone to do something? If that’s ever possible, I’m afraid we mere mortals are going to be in for a very bumpy ride.

Some of you might be thinking, “Writing can’t be that important. I don’t read that much.” Maybe you don’t. But think about it: that movie you just spent ten dollars to see had at least one writer. The half-hour sitcom you watched last night probably had close to a dozen writers. Even your favorite “unscripted” reality show has creative executives with backgrounds in storytelling, which is central to – you guessed it – writing. During the commercial breaks, did you ever notice the thirty-second news spots that usually sound like this: “It’s common, it’s deadly, and it may be in YOUR child’s breakfast. Details at six.” You may not realize it, but someone wrote that, too. They’re called topical spot producers, and it’s a job I wouldn’t mind landing.

Thinking about your iPod? Lyrics don’t write themselves. The Internet? It’s full of written content. Even video games have writers. Now take a look at the packaging that game came in. You’ll notice there are words on it – and yes, someone wrote those too. Magazines, newspapers, talk shows – they all need people to write for them. And of course we can’t forget good, old books – that would be missing the forest for all of the trees.

Not interested in the many forms of the media? For your sake, I’ll briefly tear myself away. Where else can writing be important? What about educational textbooks? Or a teacher’s lesson plans? Your company’s advertisements? (Ooops, more mediaâÂ?¦sorry). Okay, then, how about that same company’s business plans? Scientific reports? Expense reports? College application essays and job cover letters?

There’s just no avoiding it. No matter what you want to do (and especially if you want to work in theâÂ?¦cough, coughâÂ?¦media) you’ll need to know how to write effectively. You’ll need to be able to communicate clearly, persuade successfully, and entertain brilliantly.

That’s why high school and college curricula require so many courses with a heavy concentration on writing. They’re not trying to torment you and I doubt they’re in cahoots with Staples to run you out of paper and ink (although I guess anything’s possible). They push the writing issue because they know it’s important – and they know it’s a tricky thing for a lot of people to master.

So when you’re planning your courses for next semester, add one or two more writing classes. When you’re at Borders looking for a cute coffee table book, pick up something that teaches writing. Find something you’re interested in, sit down, and just write about it. Make your kids or friends learn to write. Make your spouse/significant other learn to write. Hey, see if the family dog can pick up on it, too. It’s a crucial thing to know.