After a very long time out of the space, I shared an opinion article with the world this past week. The piece was an experiment between the academic and the popular, and one of the comments I woke up to this morning made me think about the subtle stories that our writings tell about us.

The comment, which came from an elderly person for whom I have a lot of respect, read: “Who has clowned our Crown Prince, Niran Adedokun?” Although I know that this comment came out of a misunderstanding stemming from judging my intervention by the headline instead of reading the article, it made me think about how much writing has told me about myself, over the years.

In thinking about it, I realise that writing is more than just an expression; it is also exposure. No matter what people think of you outside, you cannot hide anything from yourself when you sit down to write. It is also your moment of truth. It is like that uncomfortable mirror that throws your reflection back at you. Let’s look at a few of the things writing reveals about us.

What Resistance Says

One of the most honest moments I have found in writing is the moment when your words are not flowing as you would desire. That moment when everything other than sitting down to write seems urgent. That moment you procrastinate or feel so tired.

I imagine that all writers contend with moments of resistance like this. I certainly do, and on many of these occasions, I conclude that I’m being lazy. I think it’s more than that, though. The moment I chose to be more compassionate with myself, I realised that it was just fear. This fear could be about not being good enough, becoming vulnerable and your reactions to what people think about you. You may even be caught in the fear of the truth you will discover about yourself in the writing process.

Whenever I find myself resisting the urge to write anything, I know it is often the piece I need to write the most. You’ll find the page asking you questions about what you actually believe, what you are afraid that people might discover about you, and whether you are trying to impress anyone.

Writing compels you to confront the gaps between the confidence you display in public and the uncertainties you contend with privately. It exposes your insecurities, whose approval you seek and who you might want to impress. If you pay attention, this period of resistance will teach you the areas where you need some growth.

 Writing Clarifies Values and Beliefs

You will agree that many people carry opinions that they have not examined in conversations; writing will not allow you get away with that. At least, not for long.

When you attempt to articulate a belief or opinion in writing, you will get to the point of wondering whether it is your opinion or something you adopted from someone else or inherited from family, culture or religion.

The page asks you questions about whether you actually believe the point you are making. This is because writing demands coherence. If your values are not consistent, your argument will manifestly wobble. Without deep convictions, you will make shallow points, and readers will read through you. But when you have deeply rooted values, your writing is properly anchored. Even when readers don’t agree with you, they will see your points and respect them.

Writing quietly helps you identify what you stand for in ways that you may never otherwise understand. When you write consistently, you will begin to notice a pattern in your work, and you will see certain themes recurring. These aren’t random; they are clues and signposts to the values you hold most dearly. Writing shows you what matters to you, sometimes before you even consciously realise it.

 How Your Voice Changes as Confidence Grows

At the very start, most writers imitate and echo already established writers that they admire. You are doing this because you want to impress as quickly as possible. You battle with the truth and crave for sentences that will impress and come across as the truth.

But the more you write, the more confident you become. You are deliberate about clarity and establishing your own voice. Your sentences become simpler, you advance clearer arguments, and choose more precise expressions over the decorative. You can care less about sounding intelligent and just aim to be understood.

That is the moment when you have come to accept yourself, and that changes everything! At this point, your voice settles, and you just speak without any need to perform. You are confident and become authoritative in a rather quiet way. That is the point where what you think, what you believe, and what you write align.

It Brings Some Spiritual Discipline

I have also discovered that there is something almost spiritual about writing consistently. For one, it stretches you probably beyond what you envisage. The pressure and discipline to keep up are extraordinary, and this affects you in several ways. Writing, for instance, refines your thinking. It should make you humbler because you realise that you do not actually know as much as you think you do.

So, it confronts your ego. When you write regularly, you easily identify emotional patterns. You notice what motivates you. You learn whether you are driven by impact or applause, service or status or whether truth or validation does it for you.  You can also come to understand what angers you, what excites you and what puts you off.  No matter how much you try, consistent writing will take you away from merely producing content to striving for clarity and impact.

Writing is the Mirror You Need

You know the most paradoxical thing about writing? Those things that make it very uncomfortable and inconvenient are the very things that make it transformative.

The more you write, the more of you realise the things you need to change about yourself. It reveals your impatience, exposes your pride, uncovers your insecurities and sharpens your convictions

If you do not get easily discouraged and keep writing, you will see a new you emerging. You’ll definitely become more honest with yourself and your readers. You will become more grounded, more precise and happier. Writing teaches you that you cannot manufacture your voice, but you will discover it over time, with practice.

I bet this is the greatest lesson you would need to learn about yourself. The page doesn’t only reflect your thoughts, it reflects and reveals you!

I would like to hear your thoughts about this week’s newsletter. Holla by replying to this email. I pray that you have a fantastic week writing great stuff.

You can buy my book, Every Journalist Should Write a Book,here

Niran Adedokun,

Writer | Communications Strategist | Book Strategist | Author of “Every Journalist Should Write a Book