Creative writing can be useful in many ways. It can help those who are lost in the routine of writing mundane and boring research papers. More options are created wehn students are allowed to write creatively. Those options can get the student more involved in their writing, which can instigate hte use of what they already know; their experiences, thoughts, opinions, etc. Creative writing is important to student development as it encourages students to think beyond his or her means, promoting a deeper understanding of themselves.
Students who think creatively can establish new ideas about themselves and the world around them, ultimately leading to a better understanding of their identities and writing voice. When a student has established a clear understanding of who they are and what they stand for, their writing will benefit greatly. Learning how to express one's own original ideas effectively can lead to the establishment of one's own individual style of writing. Having one's own original voice can bring the confidence to say what you really think and feel and not to worry about what other people may think. That's a great tool in writing. Cencoring what you write to accommodate a certain audience can completely destroy what you're trying to say. Individual style helps create original writing with new points of view.
Thinking "outside the box" can open a student's mind, expanding their current belief system, resulting in the enrichment of a person's sense of self. Taking what they already know and branching out, thinking in ways they possibly never have, can create new ideas. These new ideas can become new beliefs, which can influence one's personality greatly. The new beliefs can help to enrich a person's self-awareness.
Abstract thinking can be used as therapy, as it provides a better knowledge of a person's own strengths and weaknesses. Writing poetry can prove to be extremely theraputic for those who have had emotionally traumatic experiences.