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Writing As a Tool For Self-Discovery (Also, Philosocom's Directory on Writing)

Updated: Sep 8



(Philosocom content on writing:

https://www.philosocom.com/post/insights-from-philosocom-to-online-writers

https://www.philosocom.com/post/how-writing-became-my-prime-directive

https://www.philosocom.com/post/what-to-consider-when-writing-a-book

https://www.philosocom.com/post/curse-of-the-writer-s-factory-poem

https://www.philosocom.com/post/philosopher-part-time-crow-poem

https://www.philosocom.com/post/a-writer-s-voice-a-poem

https://www.philosocom.com/post/writing-as-a-tool-for-self-discovery)


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If you wish to explore your thoughts through writing, you simply have to write your thoughts on paper/a computer screen. Besides its role in communication, constant writing can be very helpful for one's intelligence and self-awareness, while also fundamentally recording your thoughts. This is how writing can be described: the conversion of thought into a series of words and sentences.


This is why writing is a most valuable and needed action if you wish to record your thoughts not only for yourself, but for others long after your death.


I can personally attest that thanks to my writing, I got to know myself better, and thus I became more self-conscious, analytical, and introspective. It even changed my life, perhaps to a point of a "mental rebirth". Writing can do a lot for one's inner self-development, and thus can be a great possibility of giving yourself many insights and words of wisdom that you may otherwise miss.


Even after you die, perhaps your writing pieces can store your identity and your memory for hundreds of years, whether you become known or remain anonymous. For more on that, click here.



To start, I suggest you write down the names of all the subjects, people, opinions, experiences, and other things that you think about constantly. Once you have written this list, choose one or more of the subjects, and elaborate on them from whatever aspects you wish to. You can write without judgment, since restricting your writing will only serve as an obstacle between you and your own wild stream of thoughts.


Don't be afraid to write about something that is perverted, inappropriate, or immoral. By recording your thoughts, you need to be honest with yourself, regardless of external opinion.


This is why I also recommend writing your darkest thoughts on paper, instead of on a computer. No one can hack into your papers online.


As you practice more and more writing, it will eventually become a very fluent action where you can free your mind from negativity. When I write for extensive periods of time, I myself feel more cleansed, satisfied, and even in love with this intellectually-worthy activity.


Remember that it may not be as easy as you may think it will be, not because of the effort, but because of the high possibility of confronting anything within you that you dislike or even hate. This is why such a quest requires a certain degree of immunity and preperation. Even if you may burst out crying or become furious, it's okay. The writing mission you wish to work on requires the minimal of limitation as possible, if not no limitations at all.


Since our honest thoughts can be dangerous or disrespectful, if you want to share what you wrote in the exploration of your thoughts, think deeply before you share the writing pieces. Most of the time, I believe thoughts are meant to be kept hidden from the naked eye if they are abnormal or even radical.


I don't really tell you every single thought of mine. It's counter-intuitive.


This is a most exalted quest to do with your life. That's because everyone should know themselves more than just their names, origin, occupation, and such. Know one's mentality, along with one's psychological and philosophical life. Knowing yourself can help you explain yourself better to others, and in order to cooperate with certain people, they need certain info, to help them, help you.


This can only do good if you believe you are strong enough to face the self beyond the facial expressions and of other's expectations out of you. You will have no idea how wide your mentality is until you write on a constant basis.


Extra: I used to write novellas as a teenager, but I never published them anywhere, and are in Hebrew. I never really liked writing fiction because I do not like escaping from reality. It is hard for me to manage a fictional universe when I can manage something that is far more real. If I enjoyed it more, I perhaps would not have been a philosopher, but a fiction writer.


I know I have that potential, but I can't enjoy something without contributing to others. I'm serious. And I do not like contributing to others with fantasies. If I ever write fantasies, like this one, it's only as an allegory. And I hate writing in subtext when I can simply say the words I want to say, plain and simple.


Through writing I discovered my best use for the world in this life.

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Tomasio A. Rubinshtein, Philosocom's Founder & Writer

I am a philosopher from Israel, author of several books in 2 languages, and Quora's Top Writer of the year 2018. I'm also a semi-hermit who has decided to dedicate his life to writing and sharing my articles across the globe. Several podcasts on me, as well as a radio interview, have been made since my career as a writer. More information about me can be found here.

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