As Randy mentioned, it's almost as important as ones ability to speak properly. Writing skills are used daily for most people, especially when it comes to work or school.

In some ways, just as important as the spoken word. People are judged on their writing abilty. I have learned two important things over the years (actually more but these are my two most important), #1, edit yourself; spelling, correct word usage, word omision, etc. #2 Less is more. Sometimes a succinct sentence says more than a whole page, especially in a business related memo.

I learned both of these lessons when I was in Boot Camp in the Navy. We had a short, designated time to write home, and almost invariably I mispelled words, left words out, did not punctuate, wrote two to three pages of mindless drivel, you name it, I did it. Up to his dying day my poor dad believed his son to be an idiot!

important. i wish my writing skills were better. I wish I could have better usage of writing down my thoughts. some people have real talent at writing. I envy their knack for writing down their thoughts. Or for those who can sit down and write a book.  It can help one to get ahead in life as well.

On RIA in particular. You only look as good as you write around here...

I had a high school English teacher named Mrs. Kerr who really pushed me hard to become a better writer. I didn't appreciate her at the time, but now I do. More than any other skill that I picked up during high school, college, or grad school, the ability to write has made a difference in my professional life. You use it for everything - email, memos, business plans. I don't care how smart you are - if you can't write in a way that reflects this intelligence, it's going to be pretty hard to convince others.