The exploration of writing well should be a rewarding experience. Beyond audience, beyond publication, Slipstream encourages improvement of writing skills for the sake of being a better writer because that can make the writing process itself more enjoyable. Writing well for the sake of writing well fosters a sense of satisfaction with the work that leads writers of all levels to be eager to do the work. The greater a writer understands all elements of the art and craft of writing, their writing sessions will feel less and less like a chore or a 2nd (or 3rd) part-time job and more and more joyful and fulfilling experiences that they will prioritize.
When writing well, a writer communicates thoughts and ideas clearly. Above and beyond making the writing accessible to more readers, this also allows the writer to creatively experiment with greater confidence. They can play with language, form, style, voice, and push the boundaries of their imaginations with more confidence. Skilled writers will be able to more easily tell when they’re getting close to what they intended on the page or where they are missing the mark and knowing what changes they need to make the experiment work.
Writing well takes effort, but it comes with a greater sense of achievement. Whether crafting well-structured sentences, weaving paragraphs seamlessly together, finding perfect metaphors, or assigning nuanced layers to relationships within a narrative, each success, or even semi-success, brings a sense of accomplishment. This comes with the extra bonus of encouraging writers to continue leveling up.
Writing isn’t only about conveying information or telling stories; writers can learn about themselves, even when not exploring memior writing or journaling. In writing well, the writer can uncover new insights to how they think, their beliefs, and their close observations of the world. This process of introspection and exploration offers a different kind of profound satisfaction to the writing process.
More than anything, improvement of writing becomes a kind of feedback loop, when writers continue to lean into their new discoveries of craft. Becoming a better writer, again removed from the external goals of reaching an audience or achieving publication, brings its own satisfaction. This leads to a greater sense and understanding of progress and growth, which leads to more poignant questions about what is possible with the written word, which leads even more discoveries, which leads to even greater leveling up, which… well… you get the idea.
Slipstream’s mission is to inspire writers to get excited about their next discovery about the art and craft of writing.