Why Geeks should write

Communication is something that we learn to do since the beginning of our lives. We cry, pout and smile to show what we're feeling before we are even able to speak. Similarly we then learn to comprehend and analyze what other people say which once again, is used to communicate, to express their own opinions. Being able to write, and write effectively is essential to anyone's success.

Say for example you write some code to maybe contribute to an open source project. That's an awesome thing to do but what good is it if you don't document your change and explain to others why it was required? What happens if you change code you've already written without telling anyone? The other people that depended on your original functional code would be confused and their frustration will surely rise. However, that could have been changed if you were able to communicate to everyone involved exactly what was modified.

To be honest, I think writing, reading, and communicating, are all intertwined. I remember speaking to my friends about my reading habits and they were talking about how proud they were of NOT reading, how they can count the 7 books they claim to have only read in their lifetimes outside of school. (It was the Harry Potter series and I'm honestly glad that they at least took up some leisurely reading.). I was taken aback by their nonchalance and attitude. How could they be proud of not reading? Illiteracy isn't much worse than literacy if you don't make use of  your skills. Reading happens simultaneously with writing. Writing forces the writer themselves to proofread and understand their own faults in the way they communicate. If you don't read anything how can you know that what you've written is any good at all?...

Writing is a way to express our own ideas and to help others understand. No one can sit down with every single person and explain to them verbally. No, texts, novels, and even written code should be able to convey their meaning themselves. Writing forces you to be confident in your ideas and gives you a feeling of concreteness. While doing this you will realize your own faults and weaknesses. Writing not only helps conveys your ideas but helps you grow.