Amongst other things, we have been so preoccupied with social media and the internet that hardly anyone contemplates reading books. While some maybe too busy to read, others merely don’t care to read.
There are many benefits to reading, from making you smarter to improve your reading and writing skills. If you want to understand what benefits one could reap from developing the habit of reading, then we have enlisted the top benefits here.
1. Stimulation For Your Brain
When you read every day, you stimulate your mental activity. Numerous studies have been conducted to understand the benefits of reading.
As per a study, one of the prime benefits of reading books is slowing down mental disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Dementia . It happens since reading stimulates the brain and keeps it active, which allows it to retain its power and capacity.
Every part of our body needs exercise to stay healthy, and the same goes for our brain. Reading gives it regular exercise and keeps it healthy and sound.
Even playing games like chess or solving puzzles results in cognitive stimulation .
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2. Stress Reduction
Everyday concerns will keep bothering you unless you do something to divert your mind. Reading gives you that mental space to occupy yourself with something more interesting.
When you read a great story, all your stress seems to slip away and relax you since you tend to travel mentally in a different realm. Sometimes while reading, you come across valuable advice or solutions to your problems.
3. Knowledge-Enhancement
Reading Important to Enhance the Knowledge
Since the onset of civilization, we have grown and developed mentally. Many learned scholars give credit to the erudite tomes written by our predecessors for our knowledge. The importance of reading books is now more than ever since. Not everything is available in digitalized form.
There are numerous ways to learn more about life, from self-help books to reading fiction. Even when you feel demotivated, you can read an inspirational biography to lift your mood. One of the great benefits of reading books is that the knowledge you gain from them can never be taken away from you. Unlike worldly possessions, your knowledge will stay with you till the end of time.
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4. Vocabulary Expansion
If you are not yet convinced on why reading books is important, this might interest you. When you develop the habit of reading, you enhance your vocabulary. Reading any type of book can improve your vocabulary to an impressive extent.
Having great command over the language is known to help many in their professional and academic life. Moreover, with better vocabulary knowledge, you get to fill yourself with self-confidence when sitting in a group with a knowledgeable audience.
You can also expect to learn new languages when you develop the habit of reading various books every day.
5. Memory
Regular reading is a great exercise for your brain. If you read a fictional book, your brain is forced to remember the names and nature of various characters. Going back to their history and remembering events or plots is fun and improves your memory.
One of the greatest benefits of reading daily is that your brain becomes super powerful. An amazing fact about our brain is that it can retain a great amount of information, and with every new memory, your brain creates new brain pathways or synapses. .
Moreover, it strengthens your existing memory, helps to recall short-term memory, and stabilizes mood. . How cool is that?
If you are intrigued by this information, how about learning to boost your memory and become 10x smarter by checking out this technique!
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6. Stronger Analytical Thinking Skills
If you are still wondering what other benefits of reading regularly are, consider this! One of the most amazing benefits of reading every day is that it can improve your analytical skills. Reading mystery novels helps you develop skills that can assist you in problem-solving.
While reading a novel, the disclosure is pretty slow, and your mind is forced to predict or make guesses. Upon disclosure, you get to connect the dots. It’s fun to make your brain smarter and enhance your analytical skills.
Subconsciously the brain is trained to think more smartly and develop strong analytical skills. You can expect to gain from this in your personal and professional life.
7. Focus and Concentration
One of the worst things that technology has done is make us lazy. Almost everything is available with ease. We hardly make an effort to focus on solving issues or concentrate on bringing about any improvement.
You can see where we are going with this. You can agree that we even tend to get lazy and don’t even put an effort to remember things. Simply put a reminder on the phone, and that’s it!
While reading can bring back the lost power of focus and concentration. If you feel that using modern technology lowers our productivity, then develop the healthy habit of reading every day.
Keeping yourself occupied with reading for about 20 to 30 minutes can be great for your brain. It can help you with better focus and concentration. You may have been doing it wrong for those who still find it difficult to develop focus or concentrate properly
8. Better Writing Skills
If you read more, you will naturally become good at writing skills. Since your vocabulary and pronunciation improve by reading regularly, it eventually makes you a better writer.
We are not just talking about writing fiction, books, novels, etc. Even when writing something in everyday personal and professional life, your writing skills would have improved with regular reading.
The more you read, the better your writing skills will become. You would tend to focus on various aspects of writing that would allow you to write more effectively than others.
9. Tranquility
Don’t you sometimes feel like just getting away from all the hustle and bustle of everyday nonsense? But it’s not always cost-effective to plan a trip to get some time in solitude.
Reading a book allows you to gain similar tranquility. What’s more interesting is that people suffering from high blood pressure or anxiety can find peace in reading.
Reading self-help or spiritual texts uplifts your soul and makes you feel better. Whereas people suffering from mood disorders can also feel better with reading habits.
10. Free Source Of Entertainment
We do spend on movies and music, but why? It is for entertainment, isn’t it? Then why not simply read books with the same purpose? You would be surprised to know that some of your favorite movies or TV series were made after getting inspiration from some of the greatest novels.
What’s more interesting is that reading books would cost a lot less and keep you entertained for longer. Just At to the local library can introduce you to numerous entertaining novels. You can find books on any topic that you find interesting and keep yourself entertained.
If you cannot go to the library or do not have access to any library nearby, you can even scout for them on online sources. Numerous online stores have free e-books to read.
Final Thoughts
From health benefits to getting smarter, there are numerous benefits that regular reading can offer. You can expect to enhance your knowledge about so many things if you just develop this habit of reading books regularly. It might appear boring unless you start, but once it is assured, once you get a grip of reading, you will be thanking yourself for this habit.
If you like creative things if you can enjoy reading and think to write, and if you have a basic understanding of language, communication, and writing, then Content Writing in India can be a second source of income for you.
You’ll not only enjoy producing content but would earn handsome money through this passion.
As rightly said, something which is constant is the Change itself. But Technology and the Internet have been revolutionizing things in an unexpected manner.
Businesses, media, personal relation, Industries and almost every aspect of life is positioning itself in the online space. This change is evidence of the brighter career prospects of Content Writers in India.
As a result of this massive digitization, the importance of Digital Content Creation is inevitable.
What we see while interacting on the internet is nothing but Content, and this mere thing is enough to let us realize the importance of quality Content creation scope and Development in the future.
If Content is vital, then the role of Content Writer is vital too. India as the world’s six-largest economy has an enormous potential to have its fair share in the online arena.
Businesses in India will grow enormously, with more digitization to have an online presence. Therefore it is fair to say that the future of Content Writers is brighter in India like everywhere else.
You can develop a career of your choice as a Content Writer. A career where you will be free of 9 to 5 strict routines, where you have the freedom to work from the comfort of your room sofa any time.
Prerequisites for Content Writing:
There is no specific qualification for Content Writing. Luckily anyone who has the following skills or can develop these skills can do Content Writing.
Someone from Technology field, Engineering, even Medical, or Marketing, Journalism or any other field, if writes something related to that particular industry, is a Content Writer.
Language proficiency is one and the most important requirement for a Content Writer.
Some basic knowledge of Search Engine Optimization is as critical as the writing itself. SEO knowledge will make sure that your content is read by enough people.
The skills to work with Microsoft Office or related tools is also required to become a Content Writer
You will somehow need to read things. Anything from the brochure that you come across to the label on your laptop package, and then some books that would be very useful to create a charm, continuity, and attraction in writing.
Research skills are also needed for content developers. When you are writing, some level of research is required to know the level of existing literature in that particular area. Research also updates you about the current trends in that particular niche.
An essential skill is originality, your content needs to be original. Originality is needed because you’re going to add to the existing bank of knowledge in that particular area
Meeting deadlines is also important. You’ll have to write for someone in the Freelance marketplaces, or for some agency. The Content that you produce is ultimately meant to be converted to money, therefore time management is important. You’ll have to work in relax or tough routine sometimes.
Editing and Proofreading is another important skill that is required for you to be a Content Writer. Putting the ideas on a paper is one aspect, but editing, rewriting, and proofreading is another important aspect. Famous writers say that almost 25%-35% of your time is usually spent on preparing the first draft, while 65% to 75% is required to re-write, edit and proofread that particular piece of writing.
Due to the massive presence of most people on social media sites and online websites, a Content Writer also needs to have some understanding of Social Media as well. You need to take the help of social media for the promotion and enhancing your reach to more audiences.
Last but not least is the passion to write. If you enjoy writing something, you can definitely become a Content Writer.
Career Options for Content Writers:
As a writer, you have many career paths to go through. Here you are going to know a few of the career options that you can choose to start as a Content Writing Professional.
Freelance Marketplaces:
You can join any of the following famous international Freelance marketplaces to start your career as a Content Writer.
Upwork.com, Freelancer.com, Guru.com, Peopleperhour.com, Fiverr.com, etc.
All these are Freelancing marketplaces, with certain rules and regulations. These marketplaces play the role of a middleman between you and the client (Someone whom you’re writing for).
Your interests are safeguarded as a writer in these marketplaces, at the same time the interests of the clients are also taken care of.
In return, these marketplaces have a certain percentage as their charges to take care of all the things between you and your client.
As a writer, you need to establish a portfolio of your niche, a good rapport, and credentials or badges on these marketplaces. The rapport maybe you’re standard while approaching a job or client for a contract.
The credentials or badges may be your relevant skills, previous job history, and most importantly the testimonials that you have from your previous work or clients.
Once having this you can earn a handsome amount from international clients, businesses, individuals, or organizations.
Establishing your own Business of Content Writing in India:
While in the field of Content Writing if you want to be your own boss, you should always try to establish your own business.
As an entrepreneur, you can establish your own business and provide employment to others as well. Writing skills can help you do so.
You can promote your brand as a Writer in a specific industry or with many niches.
You can be a company that facilitates businesses, organizations, or individuals by Grant writing or Grant Proposals Writing.
There are many non-government-organizations, non-profit-organizations, charity organizations, and multinational companies who may hire your company for such writing from a donor agency.
You can be a publishing company, a ghostwriter for someone. People may hire you to produce content for their businesses like Educational Institutions. Such writing may be the legal documents for those Institutions, or they may be reports related to some aspect of the organizations.
You may be writing biographies or even books etc. Your services as a brand will be hired by these organizations or individuals.
One can also establish a Writing business by producing fictional content. You can produce Content like short stories for kids, novels for a particular age group, entertainment content for readers, news stories, case studies, white papers, technical reports and summaries, technical reviews on various gadgets.
You can develop your skills as a Freelance Journalist, an E-Book writer, a researcher, a proofreader, Blogger as well. There are so many options for you.
If you can review various gadgets or ICT pieces of equipment or any other kind of tools, instruments, or equipment, then you can also create and promote your own brand identity.
Once you establish credibility in the related market, you can provide your services as a consultant to various firms, government agencies, organizations, or businesses.
Copywriting:
Copywriting is another trending career path for the Content Writing profession. It is writing for the purpose of conversion.
This form of Content Writing actually triggers the appetite of the audience or readers towards certain actions.
The action may be to subscribe to your website, the action may be to convince the audience to purchase something, or such action may be the promotion of a certain brand or service.
Copywriting also includes pitching cold emails for businesses or services.
Branding yourself as a Blogger:
This means as a Content Writer you can generate a handsome amount through blogging. This may be a part-time job or a full-time job.
Your earning will vary depending on the way you manage your blog. It also depends on the fact that how many of the subscribers are in your reach, or what is marketing strategy that you adopt for your blog site.
There are various ways to generate money from blogging in India. You can do affiliate marketing by promoting the products from the world’s largest retailer like Amazon or any other of this sort.
There may also be another way to monetize your blog by displaying ads on your blog.
Therefore blogging is a very popular way to generate passive as well as active income through Content Writing in India or anywhere in the world.
Writing for Social Media outlets:
There are numerous companies and businesses that know the importance of social media presence in this digital world.
The ultimate goal of every business is to earn money from clients or consumers. We’re well aware that people have no time to read lengthy things about a product or service.
As a producer, you need to knock on the door of the customer. Social media is the best way to let your potential customer know about your brand.
Popular companies or organizations and businesses sometimes cannot manage their social media presence. At this stage, the role of Content Writing comes into place.
You as a Content Writer will be hired by these businesses to produce and manage their social media content for such businesses.
Technical Writing:
One of the most exciting areas in Content Writing is Technical Writing. Technical Writing means writing user manuals, guides, software descriptions, compiling and composing standard operating procedures for some business or activity or event. It also includes producing some legal documents related to a particular technical field.
It may also include writing agreements for various businesses or activities. The demand for this type of Content Writing is expected to grow faster almost 10% than other such skills as predicted by a website on the subject “Instructional Solution”.
The traditional definition of Technical Writing has somehow changed now. This area of Content Writing now includes the production of any sort of technical documents, whether that may be a report, a summary, or may any sort of document which conveys some technical information.
If you have the ability to ask interesting questions, neat and fascinating stories, then you can earn from this sector of Content Writing in India as well.
News & Magazine Writing:
The good old days are gone. The news is now read online. The renowned Newspapers now publish their online versions, which are supposed to be readable on mobile devices even. The Content for these Newspapers are written by the Content Writers.
Content Writing in India has a lot of scopes as long as Newspapers and Magazines are concerned. This area of Content Writing is mainly enjoyed by the Journalists community, but you as a writer can also write for News and Magazines.
Editor Proofreader:
Editing and Proofreading are other areas of Content Writing. Many publishing houses in India are in need to hire expert writers who can edit, or proofread writing to make it presentable at the final stage. This area of Content Writing is also quite in demand.
Website Content Development:
Businesses, organizations, Institutions, and Governments agencies have their websites to share information with their customers, or viewers. Website Content Development is another rich area of Content Writing.
You can develop your expertise in writing and designing website pages like a landing page, home page, etc.
Scriptwriting
Another area of Content Writing is Script Writing, a famous one and has a lot of potentials to earn as a creative Content writer.
According to the Quora website, an average scriptwriter in India earns between 98,920 to 1163,493. Scriptwriting is usually done for screen.
As an advanced film Industry, Indian scriptwriters have a lot of job scope.
Academic Writer:
Educational organizations, universities, or such kinds of businesses that have to deal with education need the services of Academic Writers.
Such writers have to produce a Curriculum for a particular field of study, they may produce books or research papers writing, or any other research.
This aspect of Content creation in India requires you to have some expertise in the area that you are writing in.
As an academic writer, you need to follow certain writing styles or writing guides.
Film and entertainment industry Critic:
Content Writing in India has also a scope in the film and entertainment industry. As one of the major film industries, India is a place of choice for film writers, and filmmakers.
You as a writer can develop your skills to write creative, fictional content. There are a lot of jobs for short story writers, scriptwriters, etc.
Therefore Content writing has a bigger scope as long as the film and entertainment industry is concerned.
Joining Multi-National Corporations and Businesses:
There are a lot of jobs available in the corporate world in India. You may need to develop a business plan, a proposal, Newsletter writing, stories, case studies development, creation of fascinating and attractive messages for billboards or for emailing to clients of businesses.
Such jobs also include services solutions, presentations, and many more. The writer just needs to have a command of the niche that he/she is supposed to write in, secondly, SEO skills are also needed for these jobs.
Best Ways to Search Freelance Writing Jobs:
Besides the famous Freelance marketplaces for writing jobs, one should adopt the following way to reach clients.
Try to work for free in the beginning. Your work may be needed by someone on social media groups. Try to reach out to local businesses and share your resume to start voluntarily with companies or businesses or brands.
Rather than to make yourself tired and disappointed by searching for jobs on famous Freelance marketplaces, it is advisable to join local writing clubs, network yourself with local writing communities, and market your skills. Though difficult in the beginning, it is the only way to reach your destination as an established writer.
It is also noteworthy not to worry about the amount paid in the beginning. You might be paid quite insufficiently for your work in the beginning, but this stage has soon to pass. As a beginner, you need to think bigger by taking small but important steps.
One should also search for job boards. Job boards are websites where employers post their jobs like famous freelance marketplaces. These job providers not only give you job opportunities but also may give brush-up sessions, seminars, and interaction with established writers to polish your skills.
At the beginning marketing your brand identity as a writer is needed. Following are some of the portfolio showcase sites that may be helpful to showcase your work and establish a portfolio.
Writer’s Residence
Squarespace.com
Clipping.com
Behance.com
Format.com
Freelance Writer’s Den
You can also search for writers jobs by visiting the sites listed below:
Medium.com
Hubpages.com
Steemit.com
Substack.com
Quora.com
Ghost.org
A Piece of Advice for all Beginners in Content Writing in India or Anywhere:
Be consistent and be patient. Writing is essentially a valuable and rewarding skill, but it is certainly a tiresome job too. You will need to be focused, and a smart worker. Approach clients by standing in their shoes, knowing their needs, and having the feeling of ownership for the clients’ business.
Customize your job proposals every time by understanding the pain points of the client. Showcase your relevant skills related to that job post.
Learn the basic SEO tools and techniques. It’s all about the reach to the readers. You write to be read, and that’s why it’s important to know how to reach the audience.
Refresh your skills, try to master the skill of learning, unlearning, and relearning. Technology changes and so are the businesses. Therefore as a writer, you need to be updated all the time.
Meet deadlines. Make sure that you take an assignment and do it on time. Commitment is the only thing that is vital in any business.
Improve your language, communication, and presentation skills. This would help you to compete even with the native speakers.
Don’t exaggerate your skillset. What you know is to be told to the employers.
Read constantly. Reading not only helps you in the development of your personality, but it also enhances your wisdom. A well-read person looks into the world with different lenses. A good read for sure can be a good writer
Books Recommended:
The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson
Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself by Joe Dispenza
Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert
4 Hours Work Week by Tim Ferris
Pitch Anything by Oren Klaff
Everybody Writes by Ann Handle
Conclusion:
Writing is a serious business/profession. You want to establish your identity in the digital writing industry, you will have to be real, and avoid any copy-pasting short-cuts.
There are numerous job opportunities for Content Writing in India. One has to be patient, and consistent in learning the modern trends of the writing industry.
It’s a knowledge intensive-desk job but rewarding in the same way. Joining any academy, which not only trains you but also provides a hands-on opportunity to guide you and place your steps in the real work environment is recommended.
Irrespective of the downfall if there, once you become an expert in a particular area, your demand will always be there.
Autumn 