Over in Every, I wrote about how writing is more than a method for capturing ideas, it’s a way of exploring them:
By externalizing your thoughts, writing puts you into conversation with yourself. It’s always easier to diagnose other people’s problems, and to identify opportunities they might be missing. Just so, writing from the heart gives you a new vantage on you. This is certainly useful if you’re writing for an audience, but it’s at least as useful if you’re writing for yourself.
When you write down an idea, the results may surprise you, which is surprising in itself.