The Writing Most Adults Were Never Taught (And Why It Matters)

Let me start with something I see almost daily inside the writing community.

Someone will say, often a little cautiously: “I’m not really a writer.” And when I gently ask why, the answer is almost always the same. “Oh — I don’t write books.”

There it is.

The myth many of us have been carrying for decades: Writing = authors.

The belief that if you’re not publishing a novel, crafting poetry, or working on a memoir, then somehow your writing doesn’t count.

The truth is that most adults are writing far more often — and far more widely — than they realise.

They were simply never taught to recognise it.

The School Gap

For many Australians (and frankly, most English-speaking education systems), school writing focused heavily on a narrow band of formats.

Think back for a moment.

You were probably taught how to write essays, book reports, short stories and perhaps the occasional speech.

All useful skills.

But real life? Real life demands an entirely different writing toolkit and this is where many capable adults quietly lose confidence — not because they can’t write, but because no one ever showed them the full landscape.

Writing in the Real World

Step outside the classroom and you quickly see how broad writing actually is. Adults regularly write:

• emails
• reports
• grant applications
• social media posts
• website copy
• business proposals
• training materials
• client communications
• newsletters
• submissions and forms
• memoir pieces
• community updates

That is a very long way from the five-paragraph essay most of us were trained to produce, and yet — because these forms weren’t always explicitly taught — many people assume they are somehow ‘not proper writing’.

They are.

Very much so.

Why This Matters More Than You Might Think

You might be wondering: “Does this really matter?”

Yes, it does.

It matters because when adults don’t recognise the breadth of writing, several things tend to happen. They:

• underestimate their own skill
• feel intimidated by the word writer
• avoid opportunities that involve writing
• assume others are more qualified
• or hesitate to share important stories and knowledge

At Scribbly, we see this especially among thoughtful, experienced adults — many in their 50s, 60s and beyond — who have decades of communication experience but still quietly say: “I’m not a writer.”

Often, they already are.

They just haven’t been shown the full map.

The Writing Types Most Adults Were Never Explicitly Taught

Let’s widen the lens together.

Here are just some of the writing forms that sit firmly in everyday adult life — but rarely received focused teaching.

Practical Communication Writing:This includes professional emails, workplace updates, client responses, complaint letters and community notices.

These forms require clarity, tone awareness and audience sensitivity — all sophisticated writing skills. Yet many people were never directly taught how to adjust tone between, say, a formal letter and a warm client email.

Business and Professional Writing:In the working world, writing often becomes more structured and purpose-driven. This might include:

• reports
• proposals
• executive summaries
• policy documents
• training manuals
• grant applications

These forms demand:

• precision
• logical flow
• reader awareness
• and confident language choices

Again — very real writing.

Digital and Online Writing:This is one of the biggest shifts in the past two decades. Modern adults are now regularly writing for:

• websites
• blogs
• LinkedIn
• Facebook
• newsletters
• online communities

Digital writing has its own rhythm entirely. It tends to be:

• more scannable
• more conversational
• more audience-aware
• more visually structured

And yet most adults were never formally taught how writing changes in online spaces.

They’ve been learning on the fly.

Persuasive and Influence Writing:Any time you are trying to move someone toward a decision, you are working in persuasive writing territory. This includes:

• sales pages
• funding submissions
• advocacy letters
• marketing copy
• membership campaigns
• event promotions

This is a highly skilled form of writing — part psychology, part clarity, part structure.

Very few people were explicitly taught it at school.

Reflective and Life Writing:This is where many Scribbly followers quietly live. Forms include memoir, personal essays, legacy letters, family histories and reflective journalling.

These are deeply valuable writing forms — both personally and culturally — yet many adults feel underprepared to approach them.

Not because they lack stories.

But because they were never shown how to shape them.

The Confidence Gap This Creates

When education only names a narrow slice of writing, something subtle happens. Adults begin to believe:

• “Proper writers write books.”
• “Business writing is just admin.”
• “Emails don’t count.”
• “I’m just communicating — not writing.”

Over time, this quietly erodes confidence.

And confidence, more than talent, is often the real barrier.

A Quiet Reframe

If you take only one thing from today’s piece, let it be this.

Writing is not a single lane. It is a wide, evolving landscape of communication forms — many of which you may already be navigating every day.

You might be:

• the clear email writer in your workplace
• the person who crafts thoughtful community updates
• the one friends ask to “just quickly proof this”
• the organiser who writes the newsletter
• the business owner shaping client messages
• the grandparent recording family memories

None of that is accidental.

Those are writing muscles in action.

Why the Scribbly Team Cares About This Shift

Part of Scribbly’s heart has always been about reducing unnecessary intimidation around writing. Not everyone who writes wants to be an author. Not everyone who communicates clearly wants to publish a book.

But many adults benefit enormously from:

• understanding how writing works
• feeling more confident using it
• and recognising the skill they already hold

When we widen the definition of writing, something lovely happens. More people step forward. More voices emerge. More stories — big and small — find their way onto the page.

And that, from where we sit, is always worth encouraging.

If you’ve been quietly telling yourself: “I’m not really a writer…” I’d invite you to soften that just a little.

You may not be writing novels.

You may not want to.

But if you are shaping words to communicate clearly, thoughtfully and intentionally… You are already working in the world of writing.

And if you’d like to strengthen those skills — whether for business, community work, creative projects or personal reflection — our volunteer team is here to walk alongside you.