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Firstly, writing can be a powerful thinking aid. Some researchers even talk about writing as a form of thinking.[1,2] Much of writing is a way of externalizing your thinking onto paper or some other medium. Mathematical equations, diagrams, musical notation, etc. are similar examples of extending our thinking outwards.[1,2,3] Externalizing eases the load of having to hold and/or remember a lot of information in your head at once,[4] as it allows you to see your thinking out in front of you. You literally come face to face with your thoughts. This gives you the opportunity to slow down, self-reflect, and develop a greater awareness of your thoughts and thought processes. Sometimes you might not even really know what you're thinking until you get it out on paper and see it in front of you. In this sense, writing can also be seen as an enhanced form of thinking. It allows you to accomplish tasks that might be much more difficult or not even possible by internalized thinking alone.[2]

Writing can also be used to improve your critical[3,5] and creative thinking.[6] Critical and creative thinking both require you to do things like reflect, revise, refine, carefully consider, explore, express, and evaluate your own thoughts as well as those of others. This is difficult to do all in your head, especially if you're new to it. Writing allows you to do and practice these things by bringing what's in your head out in front of you. The very act of translating your thoughts into written words on a page in itself requires you to think critically. You have no choice but to slow down and process your thoughts.

So, when you are thinking about your problems, get into the habit of writing down your thoughts. Once they're out on paper, you are better able to enter into "dialogue" with them, manipulate and/or develop ideas, and gain clarity on your own thoughts and feelings.

References

1. Menary, R. (2007). Writing as thinking. Language Sciences, 29(5), 621-632.

2. Oatley, K., & Djikic, M. (2008). Writing as thinking. Review of General Psychology, 12(1), 9-27.

3. Tierney, R. J., Soter, A., O'Flahavan, J. F., & McGinley, W. (1989). The effects of reading and writing upon thinking critically. Reading Research Quarterly, 24(2), 134-173.

4. Nezu, A. M., Nezu, C. M., & Salber, K. E. (2015). Building problem-solving skills. In J. C. Holland, W. S. Breitbart, P. N. Butow, P. B. Jacobsen, M. J. Loscalzo & R. McCorkle (Eds.), 3rd ed.; psycho-oncology (3rd ed.) (3rd ed. ed., pp. 470-474, Chapter xxxv, 770 Pages) Oxford University Press, New York, NY.

5. Wade, C. (1995). Using writing to develop and assess critical thinking. Teaching of Psychology, 22(1), 24-28.

6. Wang, A. Y. (2012). Exploring the relationship of creative thinking to reading and writing. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 7(1), 38-47.